CFO Jimmy Patronis Announces Arrest of Hernando Home Inspector in $88,000 Fraud Scheme
www.myfloridacfo.com, September 12, 2024
HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. – Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced the arrest of Jasiel Mena, a previously licensed home inspector, for allegedly falsifying home inspections in various Florida counties and defrauding Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (Citizens) out of approximately $88,000. Mena was charged with one count of Scheme to Defraud, a first-degree felony.
CFO Jimmy Patronis said, “As insurance rates in Florida begin to improve little-by-little, fraud continues to serve as a source of frustration to Floridians paying higher premiums for insurance coverage. As the insurer of last resort, Citizens Insurance works to provide the best product for Floridians in need and when bad actors commit fraud, it’s stealing from all of us. As Florida’s CFO, I will continue to crack down on fraud and ensure fraudsters are put behind bars. Thank you to my Criminal Investigations Division for a job well done and the Attorney General’s Office for prosecuting this case and upholding the law on behalf of honest, hardworking policyholders.”
Citizens President/CEO and Executive Director Tim Cerio said, “Citizens’ fraud investigators have long had a close working relationship with their DFS partners. We appreciate the support and cooperation of CFO Patronis and his team for their continued vigilance in ferreting out fraud.”
An investigation by CFO Patronis' Criminal Investigations Division (CID) revealed that Jasiel Mena was contracted to do four-point home inspections and wind mitigation inspections for Citizens. Citizens’ Special Investigator Unit learned that Mena had allegedly utilized the same stock photos on over 200 inspections between January 2017 and October 2019. This resulted in Citizens having to reinspect every property at a cost of more than $38,000. Citizens also lost more than $42,000 in premiums that would have been charged if the true wind mitigation features of the homes were documented on the inspections. These fraudulent inspections exposed Citizens to windstorm home coverage on homes not properly mitigated for hurricane protections, exposing Citizens and their policyholders to possible massive losses. Citizens issued more than $7,000 in refunds due to the erroneous inspections. The CID investigation determined that Mena acted alone and operated his business out of Hernando County. Fraudulent inspections were submitted in Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, Lee, Pinellas, Charlotte, and Polk Counties.
Jasiel Mena was arrested on September 4, 2024 with the assistance of Hernando County Sheriff's Deputies and booked into the Hernando County Jail. Mena was charged with one count of Scheme to Defraud, a first-degree felony. If convicted, he could face up to 5 years in prison. This case is being prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution.
News Article: CFO Jimmy Patronis Announces Arrest of Hernando Home Inspector in $88,000 Fraud Scheme (myfloridacfo.com)