Three Miami individuals, two them licensed insurance coverage brokers, have been charged with working an unauthorized insurance coverage agent licensing college and taking license examinations in candidates’ place. Not less than 5 brokers’ licenses have been suspended due to the investigation.
Rainer Miguel Salas and his son, Rainer Alexander Salas, a licensed agent, and a receptionist, Karla Lit Peralta Ceballos, additionally a licensed agent, accepted funds from candidates at their test-prep workplace and have been capable of skirt testing safety protocols, Florida’s CFO mentioned Thursday.
“It’s reprehensible that this father and son duo facilitated dishonest on the state insurance coverage examination simply to make a fast buck,” CFO Jimmy Patronis mentioned in an announcement. “Such fraudulent conduct undermines the belief and integrity anticipated of our state’s licensed insurance coverage brokers.”
WPLG TV information in Miami reported that 5 different brokers, who allegedly paid the college to take their license exams, have had their licenses suspended. The names of these people weren’t obtainable Friday morning. Extra licenses could also be affected.
The college is located close to the Miami Worldwide Airport and is called D&R Insurance coverage Group, an company and prep middle. Irregularities have been found by Pearson VUE, the seller for the state that administers on-line testing, the information outlet reported. The corporate discovered that some 820 license exams had been “subverted” by an unauthorized laptop, in line with the arrest experiences.
Candidates would pay as a lot as $2,000 to have the unauthorized academy take the exams for them, authorities mentioned. Cooperating witnesses mentioned that candidates could be instructed on the testing middle to take a seat in an remoted room, utilizing a laptop computer that was already logged into the alleged schemers’ Pearson account and was managed by one other laptop.
When a proctor would test on-line, the candidates have been supposed to maneuver the laptop computer round so the proctor might see, via the laptop computer’s digital camera, if anybody else was within the room, the arrest experiences point out, WPLG reported.
The Florida Division of Monetary Providers’ license web page exhibits that the youthful Salas, of Miami Lakes, has been licensed since 2020 as a common traces/property and casualty agent and as a life insurance coverage agent. He’s at the moment appointed with three life insurance coverage firms.
Peralta Ceballos, of Miami Gardens, obtained a medical insurance agent license in Might and is appointed with 4 well being insurers.
The DFS mentioned that the elder Salas had beforehand been prohibited from insurance coverage enterprise in Florida. Additional data was not obtainable.
The three have been booked into jail in Miami on Thursday, June 27, charged with conspiracy to commit violations of representing, aiding unauthorized insurers; a scheme to defraud; and violation of the Florida Communication Fraud Act. If convicted, every might withstand 15 years in jail, DFS mentioned. The three couldn’t be reached for remark Friday, nor might a licensed agent affiliated with D&R Insurance coverage Group.
The Miami Dade State Lawyer’s Workplace participated within the investigation and can lead the prosecution.
Focused on Companies?
Get computerized alerts for this matter.
