Ringleader admits role in $23M insurance fraud

One of the ringleaders of a massive $23 million auto insurance fraud pleaded guilty this week to his role in an elaborate crime ring that operated at several South Florida chiropractic clinics.

Felix Filenger, who agents said drove around in a Bentley and doled out kickbacks from a suitcase stuffed with cash, faces a maximum punishment of 20 years in federal prison. He has been locked up since October.

Prosecutors said he was one of the leaders of a profitable group of corrupt clinic owners, chiropractors and attorneys that operated mostly in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties. The fraud raked in at least $23 million from 10 auto insurance companies between 2010 and earlier this year, according to court records.

Filenger, 41, of Sunny Isles, pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy on Monday in federal court in Miami.

The fraud involved ripping off auto insurance providers by illegally billing for Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance funds under Florida’s no-fault law, according to his plea agreement.

Filenger admitted he, and others, paid kickbacks of $1,500 to $2,000 – per patient – to tow truck drivers and body shop workers who agreed to illegally steer accident victims to chiropractic clinics that were secretly owned by Filenger and