Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Blaise Ingoglia and the Department of Financial Services’ Criminal Investigations Division (CID) on Friday announced the arrest of Jose Arias-Reyes, a Miami-Dade County man and criminal illegal alien, on charges of insurance fraud.
The arrest, which was made with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), highlights an alleged scheme where Arias-Reyes drastically underreported his company’s payroll to avoid paying the correct workers’ compensation insurance premiums.
Arias-Reyes, the president of AR Carpentry Services Inc., is accused of concealing his company’s true payroll amounts to evade a higher premium. Investigators allege he paid only $5,065 in premiums for workers’ compensation insurance when he should have been paying an estimated $388,693.
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CFO Ingoglia delivered a sharp statement following the arrest, linking the insurance fraud to the broader issue of illegal immigration.
“Jose Arias-Reyes had no legal right to be in this country, and his arrest is a victory for hard-working Floridians who voted for President Trump’s directive to remove illegal aliens from our communities,” said CFO Ingoglia. “Florida does not tolerate illegal immigration, nor do we tolerate criminals who take advantage of the system. We will continue working with our statewide law enforcement partners to hold these offenders accountable and fight back against illegal immigration.”
Prior Legal Issues and Multiple Charges
Arias-Reyes has a significant history of prior legal issues and has been removed from the United States twice before, followed by two illegal re-entries. His criminal record also includes two convictions in the United States for domestic assault and DUI.
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Following the arrest, Arias-Reyes is expected to face multiple state and federal charges as a criminal alien. The joint investigation between the Department of Financial Services and HSI underscores the state’s push to crack down on both financial crimes and individuals illegally present in the country.
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