Belkis Soca-Fernandez, 47, and David Sosa-Baladron, 41, of Tampa, Florida, and Antonio Ramon Martinez-Lopez, 35, of Port Richey, Florida, were convicted in federal court after a seven-day jury trial of conspiracy to commit mail fraud related to a staged automobile accident ring that operated in West Michigan from 2012 to 2015. The defendants face up to 20 years’ imprisonment and will be ordered to pay restitution to the automobile insurance companies that were defrauded. These defendants are the latest of eight individuals convicted related to the conspiracy.
“This staged automobile accident ring operated a sophisticated fraud over several years in our community,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge. “The evidence at trial established that Soca-Fernandez and Sosa-Baladron led the conspiracy from Florida using Martinez-Lopez and others as their managers here in Michigan. Martinez-Lopez used others to recruit individuals to stage accidents and falsely claim that they were receiving therapy treatment.
The staged automobile accident ring operated three therapy clinics, Revive Therapy Center and HH Rehab Center, in Wyoming, Michigan, and Renue Therapy Center in Lansing, Michigan, from April 2012 to May 2015. The ring recruited and paid cash to individuals to stage automobile accidents and obtain police reports so that insurance claims could be made with their automobile insurance companies. The managers of the clinics and others working with them then told the accident participants what symptoms to present to a physician