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Florida's Department of Financial Services said it has filed 110 charges against Christiano Leonardo Gloria for
allegedly supporting premium fraud through an arrangement that set up shell construction companies and lied on insurance
applications to obtain Workers' Comp certificates of insurance.
The alleged scheme provided contractors with the certificates, which showed that dozens of subcontractors and hundreds
of employees, often undocumented workers, were covered by insurance. But in reality, none of the subcontractors or
employees were affiliated with the shell companies, and the contractors and other parties had merely paid a fee to use
the shell companies' certificates, the DFS said.
One of the shell companies, WM South Florida Construction, defrauded the Florida Citrus Business and Industries Fund out
of more than $500,000 in premiums over a four-year period, according to the DFS. FCBI is a self-insurance fund.
WM South Florida Construction also allegedly failed to remit taxes on a payroll of approximately $27 million. Payroll
money was laundered through money transmitters in South Florida, including Vionaldo Express, which Mr. Gloria operated,
DFS said.
"Unfortunately, there are check-cashing operations that are helping companies avoid providing Workers' Compensation
coverage for their employees," Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink said in a statement.
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida investigators said Wednesday they arrested the operator of one of South Florida's largest
check-cashing operations for racketeering and allegedly conspiring in a "major money-laundering and Workers' Compensation
fraud scheme."