TALLAHASSEE — State investigators say a small crew of insiders turned Florida's own safety net into their personal payout machine, siphoning roughly $1.7 million through more than 220 bogus property-damage claims before the scheme finally collapsed this week.
Six people, including several former state employees, were arrested Monday after officials alleged they spent years gaming the Florida Division of Risk Management's claims system and pushing fraudulent payments to co-conspirators sprawled from Thomasville, Georgia, down to Miami. The program they are accused of abusing is supposed to protect taxpayer-owned property, not quietly drain the public till.
In a press release from MyFloridaCFO, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia said the Department of Financial Services' Criminal Investigations Division arrested the six and that additional arrests are expected. Ingoglia did not mince words, saying, "Let me be crystal clear: If you steal from Florida taxpayers, you will go to jail." The release identified Briana McCarthy as the alleged ringleader and said she processed "over 220 suspicious property damage claims," which triggered about $1.7 million in improper payouts.
How investigators say the scheme worked
According to an 84-page probable-cause affidavit reported by the Tallahassee Democrat via Yahoo, investigators began spotting red flags in December 2021 and say the questionable conduct continued until McCarthy was fired in September 2024. The affidavit describes 224 suspect claims, many missing required documentation and some paid out to people who neither had Florida-registered vehicles nor valid driver's licenses.
The money did not stay neatly inside the capital city. Investigators say payments allegedly flowed to recipients from Thomasville to Miami, although many of the claims were clustered in and around Tallahassee, suggesting a local hub feeding a wider web of fraudulent payouts.
Who was arrested
Tampa Bay 28 identified the six people arrested as Briana McCarthy, Brianna Hannan, Carlotta Hawkins, Kearia Walker, Whitney Branch and Kavon Reese, and reported that three of them are former state employees. The outlet noted that McCarthy faces multiple felony counts, including grand theft, money laundering and aggravated white-collar crime, while the others face grand theft and cash-deposit-related charges.
Authorities said the arrests capped a multi-agency investigation led by the DFS Criminal Investigations Division, which combed through claims files to unravel what they describe as a coordinated scheme to loot a state-run insurance program.
Local coverage and next steps
Local broadcasters quickly jumped on the story. Stations including WTSP aired video of the announcement and early details of the case, while officials publicly urged anyone involved to come forward before investigators knock on their door.
State agencies are now coordinating as auditors and investigators sift through records and try to trace where the money went. Recovering the funds, they acknowledge, may be a long slog. The probe remains active, and officials have repeatedly signaled that more arrests are likely.
Legal implications
The CFO's office laid out a long list of potential charges in the case, including grand theft, scheme to defraud, money laundering, criminal use of personal identification information, communications fraud, official misconduct and forgery, depending on the defendant. Ingoglia's office said it will seek restitution and move to tighten internal controls at the Division of Risk Management as the criminal case moves forward.
For the complete rundown of charges and the state's full statement, see the release from MyFloridaCFO.
