Attorney General Moody Supports Bill Protecting Police K-9s Injured in the Line of Duty

Attorney General Ashley Moody, a staunch supporter of Florida law enforcement, is highlighting legislation aimed at protecting police K-9s injured in the line of duty. Currently, paramedics and emergency medical technicians are not permitted to provide life-saving emergency medical care or transportation to police K-9s injured in the line of duty. Bill sponsor Sen. Tom Wright today joined the Attorney General’s news conference urging passage of the life-saving legislation.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line daily to serve their communities and protect our safety—and their four-legged partners risk their lives protecting them. Police K-9s regularly provide life-saving services, including suspect apprehension, detection and search-and-rescue missions that lead to the arrest of dangerous criminals and the safe return of missing persons. It is a dangerous job for officers and K-9s, and both are often subject to great bodily harm.

“As Attorney General, I am dedicated to providing the best means of protection for all our law enforcement officers, including police K-9s. I am so grateful to Senator Wright and Representative Killebrew for sponsoring bills that will increase the ability of paramedics and EMTs to provide life-saving care and transportation to K-9 police dogs. They dedicate their lives to providing safety to our communities, we must do the same for them." Read More

VIDEO: Attorney General Moody Highlights Two-Year Anniversary of Consumer Alert Program

Attorney General Ashley Moody is recognizing the second anniversary of Florida’s Consumer Alert program for National Consumer Protection Week. Attorney General Moody launched the Consumer Alert program in 2019 to warn Floridians of emerging scams and provide resources to avoid fraudsters. Since then, Attorney General Moody has issued approximately 90 Consumer Alerts. Last year, as COVID-19 began to spread in Florida, Attorney General Moody quickly revamped the warning system to focus on virus-related scams—issuing more than 20 COVID-19 specific warnings to date.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “As COVID-19 started to change the way we worked, learned and socialized, scammers quickly adapted to hatch new schemes designed to exploit the pandemic and people’s desire to stay healthy. To stay ahead of these fraudsters, I quickly activated Florida’s Price Gouging Hotline, assembled our Rapid Response Team and shifted our Consumer Alert Program to address emerging, virus-related scams in real-time.

 

“As we recognize National Consumer Protection Week, I want to remind Floridians, and more importantly scammers, that our work is not over. We continue to warn about emerging virus-related scams and investigate information provided to our office related to scams and fraudsters.”

Behavior Health Analyst Arrested for Medicaid Fraud

Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Martin County Sheriff’s Office arrested a behavior health analyst for defrauding the Florida Medicaid program out of thousands of dollars. Chenelle Weaver, employed by Behavior Basics, Inc., provided behavioral health services to Medicaid recipients in St. Lucie County. However, not only did Weaver fail to provide services, the defendant fraudulently charged the Florida Medicaid program thousands of dollars.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “This fraudster schemed and manipulated her way into gaining thousands of taxpayer dollars, all while leaving a Medicaid patient without essential care. It is infuriating that a medical professional trusted to provide care for Floridians would exploit a patient to line their own pockets. My office will continue to aggressively pursue these fraudulent schemes and hold those involved accountable.” Read More

Dental Hygienist Practicing as Unlicensed Dentist Arrested for Medicaid Fraud

Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Miami-Dade Police Department arrested a dental hygienist illegally practicing as an unlicensed dentist for committing Medicaid fraud. Julio Suarez allegedly preformed unlicensed and unauthorized procedures on patients, defrauding the Medicaid program out of more than $8,000.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “It is utterly despicable that a health care professional would knowingly deceive trusting patients about their licenses and credentials in order to practice unlawful dental procedures. To further use that deception to scam the Medicaid program out of thousands of taxpayer dollars is inexcusable and criminal. I am proud of my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for investigating these crimes and putting an end to this illegal dental scheme.” Read More