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Timothy Matthew Cox, 54, owner of Nationwide Catastrophe Services Inc. and Restoration Response Services Inc., was arrested for reportedly defrauding 19 homeowners in eight Florida counties and one Texas county out of nearly $140,000. |
Charges filed in alleged insurance fraud scheme involving AOB agreements
A contractor is facing charges in an alleged $140,000 assignment of benefits scam that targeted 19 homeowners.
The Florida Bureau of Insurance Fraud named Timothy Matthew Cox, who operated Nationwide Catastrophe Services Inc. and Restoration Response Services Inc.
“Criminals who prey on Florida families after a hurricane or tropical storm are some of the worst we see,” Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said in a written statement.
“This type of fraud has skyrocketed and impacts all Florida consumers. One of my first actions I took as your CFO was to create Florida’s Disaster Fraud Action Strike Team to go after this type of fraud,” Patronis said. “With more than 100 ongoing investigations statewide, we are coming for anyone who takes advantage of our residents during vulnerable times.”
The scam involved taking insurance money under AOB agreements for repairs Cox never began in Brevard, Clay, Escambia, Flagler, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia Counties, and also in Texas, following tropical storms and hurricanes, Patronis’ office said.
Instead, officials said, he deposited the money into bank accounts he controlled for his personal use.
Cox was booked into the Polk County Jail on June 5 on multiple counts of grand theft and racketeering; he could face up to 30 years behind bars. The Office of Statewide Prosecution is bringing the charges.
Patronis urged homeowners who have experienced or witnessed such fraud to call his Fraud Tip Hotline at 800-378-0445. They can remain anonymous if they choose.
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Kissimmee Man Accused Of Stealing From Hurricane Victims
Contractors who take advantage of hurricane victims are going to have to answer to the state of Florida.
By D'Ann Lawrence White, Patch Staff |
June 14, 2018
LAKELAND, FL – Contractors who take advantage of hurricane victims are going to have to answer to the state of Florida.
That was the message Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis delivered this week with the arrest of a Kissimmee man who reportedly took money from hurricane victims for repairs he never made.
Timothy Matthew Cox, 54, owner of Nationwide Catastrophe Services Inc. and Restoration Response Services Inc., was arrested for reportedly defrauding 19 homeowners in eight Florida counties and one Texas county out of nearly $140,000.
Patronis reportedly took money from the homeowners, promising to make repairs that were never made.
"This type of fraud has skyrocketed and impacts all Florida consumers," Patronis said in a statement.
Patronis created Florida's Disaster Fraud Action Strike Team and said he has more than 100 ongoing investigations statewide.
An investigation by Patronis' Bureau of Insurance Fraud discovered that Cox targeted areas impacted by last year's tropical storms and hurricanes including Brevard, Clay, Escambia, Flagler, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia counties and Tarrant County, Texas.
Patronis said Cox pressured homeowners to sign an "Assignment of Benefits" contract to have damages repaired. When consumers sign this document, they are granting the contractor the right to negotiate the insurance claim directly with the homeowners' insurance carriers. This allows the contractor to receive the consumer's insurance benefits directly from the insurance carrier.
After receiving the insurance payments, Patronis said Cox never started any of the work he was contracted to perform. The payments were deposited into bank accounts controlled by Cox, who used the money for personal use, according to Patronis.
Cox is charged with multiple counts of grand theft and racketeering. He could face up to 30 years in jail.
Consumers who have experienced similar problems with contractors are urged to contact the Fraud Tip Hotline at 800-378-0445.