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

Tampa Bay Pain Clinic, Reference Lab, And Two Former Execs Pay $41 Million To Settle Federal Fraud Allegations

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Apr 24, 2020 | Government Fraud

A Tampa Bay pain center, a reference laboratory, and two former executives have agreed to pay the Federal government $41 million to dismiss claims of violations of the False Claims Act ("Lincoln's Law") by billing Medicare, TRICARE, and other government health care programs for unnecessary urine tests. According to investigators, the pain center prescribed urine drug tests (UDT) to its patients in situations when the tests were not medically necessary. They say the clinic developed a policy of ordering such tests for every visit despite no showing that the attending doctor had any medical...

Avoiding taxation? It could be tax evasion

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Apr 17, 2020 | White Collar Crimes

White collar crimes come in numerous forms, but among them is one that tends to occur more during tax season: tax evasion. Tax evasion happens when a person intentionally avoids filing for or paying their taxes. Someone committing tax evasion might use fraudulent information to minimize taxes or fail to file at all.Avoiding your tax obligations is a significant crime. As a kind of fraud, you can be charged and could face serious penalties or prison time. Whether you file tax forms with false information or transfer property illegally to avoid having to pay taxes, you could be in deep trouble...

Hillsborough County Authorities Receive Dozens Of New Leads In Jack Lewis’s Disappearance Thanks To ‘Tiger King’ Documentary

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Apr 7, 2020 | Capital Murder

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said last week his office is receiving scores of new leads each week in the disappearance of a local man thanks to a new Netflix documentary. In an online news conference, Chronister said several leads have come into his office on the disappearance of Jack "Don" Lewis, the first husband of Carole Baskin, owner of Big Cat Rescue in Tampa. Baskin and her tiger rescue are featured heavily in the Netflix documentary Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness. The series, which focuses upon Joseph "Joe Exotic" Maldonado-Passage and his conviction on Federal...

Clearwater Man Facing Felony Drug Charges After Allegedly Driving 120 MPH On Bayside Bridge

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Apr 2, 2020 | Drug Charges

A Clearwater man is facing felony drug charges after Pinellas County deputies say they spotted him driving over 100 miles per hour on the Bayside Bridge. Deputies say they witnessed the man driving at a speed they estimated to be at least 120 miles per hour mid-morning on February 26. They gave chase to the Camaro, which they say was making aggressive lane changes and weaving through traffic. After running a red light at Drew Street and McMullen Booth Road, deputies were able to catch up to the vehicle and perform a traffic stop. They say an inventory search of the vehicle yielded almost...

Man found guilty of Medicaid fraud in multi-state scheme

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Mar 17, 2020 | Government Fraud

Sometimes, fraud takes place across multiple states. When it does, and when it involves government agencies or benefits, it constitutes government fraud.Take for example this case out of Georgia in which a man has been sentenced in a health-care fraud scheme. The fraudulent acts allegedly resulted in millions being taken from Medicaid in Florida, Louisiana and Georgia. The man was accused and found guilty of stealing over $2 million from the Medicaid program and continuing to defraud the government when he was out on bond.It's believed that the man and his alleged co-conspirators worked with...

Polk Man Allegedly Returned To Bar After Driving Drunk And Killing Girlfriend

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Mar 6, 2020 | Criminal Charges

Polk County authorities say a local man apprehended at a Babson Park tavern left the bar just hours before and accidentally ran over his girlfriend with his car, killing her.Deputies say the 40-year-old man was drinking at the bar with his similarly-aged girlfriend when the pair became entangled in an argument. They say the defendant took the keys to her 2002 Dodge Neon, preventing her from driving in the state of intoxication she was then in. Instead of remaining at the bar, they say she left on foot as the defendant finished his beer. He then slid behind the wheel of the car and went in...

Two St. Pete Men Face Federal Drug Charges After Drugs, Guns Allegedly Found In Senior Complex

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Feb 17, 2020 | Drug Charges

A Federal anti-drug task force said it uncovered a drug-trafficking organization late last year involving eleven individuals and operating in a St. Petersburg senior housing complex. Investigators say the ten-month investigation involved several federal agencies and the St. Petersburg Police Department, putting together a case with the aid of wire taps and other types of surveillance. According to investigators two men, one 42 years old and the other five years his junior, were the ringleaders, using the unit rented by their 64-year-old mother as a base of operations. Police say they...

Attempted Ambush Of Pinellas County Deputy Leads To Felony Murder Charge For St. Pete Man

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Jan 29, 2020 | Capital Murder

A St. Petersburg man is facing felony murder charges after a Pinellas County undercover deputy killed an accomplice as both men allegedly tried to kill him last week. According to the deputy, he was working with the department's task force on violent crime as it attempted to apprehend a man they say had fled from a pair of traffic stops. The deputy said he arranged for a meeting with the man, but he did not arrive. Instead a second man approached the deputy's unmarked vehicle, identified him as an undercover deputy, and left. The deputy says the second man returned with a third man, both of...

Seminole Man Facing Felony DUI Charge After Third Drunk Driving Arrest

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Jan 23, 2020 | Dui

Authorities in Pinellas County say the third time was decidedly not a charm for a Seminole man they arrested last week on suspicion of drunk driving. Deputies say the 50-year-old man first came to their attention by way of an off-duty firefighter/EMT who reported on Friday morning seeing a vehicle near Starkey and David swerving in traffic. The witness said the driver was "nodding off" as he drove as well. Officers caught up with the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. They say the defendant showed signs of impairment, including slurred speech and difficulty standing straight and still....

California Doctor Sentenced To 24 Months In Federal Prison For Medicare Fraud and Illegal Opioid Prescriptions

On Behalf of Brunvand, Wise & Farinella Law Group | Jan 17, 2020 | Government Fraud

A federal judge sentenced a California physician last week on charges related to his alleged defrauding of Medicare and illegal prescriptions of opioids.Prosecutors say the 56-year-old Californian prescribed unnecessary home health services in exchange for illegal kickbacks. From early 2011 through the spring of 2016, the defendant submitted fraudulent paperwork to Medicare in order to receive the improper reimbursements, and he said in his guilty plea that he either did not see the patients to whom the equipment was prescribed or only saw them for a brief, superficial examination.In...