Florida Criminal Defense Blog | Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group

Massachusetts Pharmaceutical Firm To Pay Feds $20 Million To Dismiss Medicare Fraud Claims

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Sep 3, 2020 | Government Fraud

A Massachusetts-based pharmaceutical firm has agreed to pay the Federal government over $20 million to settle claims by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that it led doctors to make claims to Medicare for prescribing their drug for a non-approved usage. Federal prosecutors say the firm's top management began to be aware that its drug was dramatically less effective against keratosis during shorter incubation times than it was for longer ones in early 2014. Although the FDA approved the drug for use in the more effective long-incubation applications, prosecutors say the firm began to...

Largo Woman Facing DUI Manslaughter Charges In Fatal Wreck With Motorcycle

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Sep 2, 2020 | Dui

Largo police say a Clearwater woman was intoxicated when she struck and killed a motorcyclist and fled the scene of the accident. Authorities say the 24-year-old woman was driving at a high rate of speed on South Missouri Avenue late last Saturday evening when she changed lanes in her 2016 Jeep Cherokee near Bayview Drive. However, the lane was already occupied by a man on a 2019 Can-Am motorcycle. Per investigators, the defendant's Jeep struck the motorcycle, sending the man flying onto the pavement. First responders to the scene said he expired at the site of the crash. The defendant...

Miami Duo Charged With Fraud For Allegedly False Statements In PPP and EIDL Applications

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Aug 31, 2020 | COVID-19

A pair of Miami neighbors were charged in Federal court last week for allegedly seeking more than $1.1 million in fraudulent loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) program. Federal prosecutors say the duo, one woman 38 years of age and the other a man five years her junior, submitted four loan applications. They allegedly worked together on the applications, which they were said to have claimed on behalf of two businesses and two farms. The woman's application allegedly indicated that she operated a beauty supply store that employed 18...

Redington Beach Man Facing Vehicular Homicide Charge In 2018 Fatal Crash

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Aug 28, 2020 | Vehicular Crimes

A Redington Beach man is facing vehicular homicide charges after Pinellas County authorities say he caused a fatal crash while racing another vehicle two years ago. Florida Troopers say the 55-year-old man was driving west on 102nd Avenue at around dusk on November 19, 2018 in a new Ford Raptor pick-up truck when he became engaged in a race with the driver of another truck. The two trucks approached the intersection of 97th Street North, where a 74-year-old woman was driving her 2002 Lexus ES300, with her 20-year-old granddaughter as a passenger. Troopers say the victim attempted to turn...

Financial and fraud crimes can prove costly

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Aug 28, 2020 | White Collar Crimes

There are many types of fraud and financial crimes that Florida residents and businesses could find themselves involved in. Many of these crimes carry hefty penalties that could include lengthy jail time and restitution. Therefore, it’s important to know exactly what constitutes a financial crime so that a company or individual can make sure that he or she doesn’t get caught up in one. One type of financial fraud is bribery. Bribery is when one party pays off another party to receive or give influence in matters like legislation or voting. The tough thing about bribery is that there doesn’t...

Minnesota Man Facing Federal Fraud Charges In PPP Loan To Defunct Company

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Aug 27, 2020 | White Collar Crimes

A Minnesota man is facing federal fraud charges on allegations that he defrauded the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of about $841,000. The 32-year-old is the owner of a contracting and construction company through which he claimed to be entitled to a loan under the program. However, federal investigators say his company was ordered to stop doing business by the state, and the company's contractor's license expired at the end of last year and not renewed. Federal investigators say the defendant submitted a loan application for a PPP loan citing the defunct firm, but it was denied. He...

Plant City Man On Pretrial Diversion For DUI Facing Vehicular Homicide Charge In Fatal Crash

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Aug 26, 2020 | Dui

A Plant City man is facing vehicular homicide charges on allegations by Florida troopers that he caused a fatal collision while racing another vehicle. The 18-year-old man was allegedly driving his 2018 Ford Mustang on State Road 60 in the late evening last Monday when troopers say he became engaged in a race with a 33-year-old man driving a 2015 Mercedes-Benz C250. The pair were allegedly racing in the eastbound lanes, weaving in and out of traffic at a high rate of speed. Witnesses say he nearly struck an uninvolved car immediately before the crash. Investigators say he lost control of the...

Collision With Hillsborough County Patrol Car Yields DUI, Child Endangerment Charges for Land O’ Lakes Man

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Aug 24, 2020 | Criminal Charges

A Land O' Lakes man is facing drunk driving and child neglect charges on allegations that he struck a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office patrol vehicle while intoxicated. According to deputies, the 29-year-old man was driving his Oldsmobilie Alero south on Nebraska Avenue in the early-morning hours of August 18 when he approached a Dodge Charger patrol vehicle near the intersection of Bearss Avenue. The patrol vehicle was positioned to block traffic near an unrelated traffic accident, and deputies say the vehicle had its emergency lights running at the time. Deputies say the defendant's...

Las Vegas Woman Facing Federal Charges Over Allegedly Fraudulent PPP Loan Applications

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Aug 21, 2020 | Government Fraud

A Nevada woman is facing federal charges on allegations that she fraudulently attempted to obtain over $1 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. The 50-year-old woman from Las Vegas allegedly submitted half a dozen different loan applications in which she included false information. Investigators say the statements were made about her business, alleging that it had paid millions in payroll in the last year. However, investigators say her business had paid no such total last year. The business, which did not have a valid corporate registration, had also not filed taxes last year,...

Feds Get TRO Shuttering Vietnamese Websites Allegedly Defrauding Buyers Of COVID-19 Supplies

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Aug 20, 2020 | White Collar Crimes

Federal officials have moved to shutter a site operated by three residents of Vietnam that they say marketed items that became scarce in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic at excessively inflated prices. Filing in the federal court in Tampa, agents obtained a temporary restraining order to close the websites as it continues its investigation. Per investigators, the three defendants ran dozens of websites that offered for sale supplies including hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes, which became difficult to purchase as the nature of the pandemic became widely known among the...