Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?

According to a story released by the Sun Sentinel, authorities have arrested Daniel Madeus alleging that he engaged in a fraudulent scheme to bilk insurance carriers out of 1.5 million dollars in fraudulent claims. Madeus is alleged to have used a physician’s name without his permission to help carry out his scheme. Madeus, 32, ran Health and Wellness Rehabilitation Services in Lake Worth, Florida since 2003. He is charged with criminal use of personal identification information in the use of a physicians name without permission or knowledge by the physician, as well as grand theft. He is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail on a $30,000 bond.

Madeus used the information of Dr. Joseph Flagello to steal the money from five insurance companies, according to investigators. Flagello told investigators that he knew Madeus and was going to go into business with him. The doctor met with Madeus’ insurance consultant and was provided the paperwork to fill out in order to bill insurance companies.

Flagello later decided not to go into business with Madeus. He told investigators he never received any money from Madeus and did not give him permission to do anything on his behalf.

“He just didn’t sound legitimate and it seemed that he was not going to do things in an ethical way and a legal way,” Flagello said Wednesday.

Flagello, a chiropractor in Boynton Beach, said Madeus promised him a lot of money from all the patients he’d bring in.

“I’d ask him ‘where are you going to get all these patients?’ And he’d say ‘This is what I do, I’m a good marketer,’” Flagello said. “Things sounded too good to be true.”

Apparently this is not the first time that Madeus has caught the attention of the authorities for insurance related crimes. According to state records, Madeus has been charged with insurance fraud in an unrelated case. No trial date has been set for those charges.