Florida Businessman Charged with Workers’ Compensation Fraud

Florida officials have charged a Duval County man with allegedly creating a fake company and fake name as part of a workers’ compensation fraud scheme.

Florida CFO Jeff Atwater announced the arrest of David Rodriguez-Socarras, who officials allege used a “shell” company and fictitious name in order to cash nearly $3 million in payroll checks through a money service business to avoid workers’ compensation premiums and payroll taxes.

Socarras is facing multiple felony charges, including application fraud, workers’ compensation fraud, criminal use of personal identification information, fraudulent application for a Florida driver’s license or ID card, and possession of a fraudulent Florida driver’s license or ID card, and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

He has been booked into the Duval County Jail with bond set at $300,000, officials said.

Officials said that the violations were uncovered when the department’s Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Compliance served a stop work order on Socarras’ business, HMV Construction Inc. and discovered he had provided 57 certificates of insurance to companies from Jacksonville to Naples.