FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Chapman
Phone: (904) 255-3004
Cell: (904) 524-6626
ChapmanD@coj.net
Feb. 4, 2022
PAIGE FOUND GUILTY OF MAKING FALSE INSURANCE CLAIMS
State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces that Catherine Paige was found guilty by a jury of False Insurance Claims. Paige now faces up to 15 years in Florida State Prison. The Honorable London Kite will sentence Paige the week of March 14, 2022.
Paige worked as an accounts receivable follow-up specialist with a local medical provider during summer 2016. During this time, a patient, who had been severely injured in a car crash, contacted the medical provider to negotiate his $800,000 bill. The patient was to receive an $100,000 settlement from an auto insurer, of which $76,000 was to be paid to Medicaid and the remaining $24,000 left for negotiations. In her official work capacity, Paige used her personal cellphone to arrange a personal deal with the patient. In that deal, she would lower the bill to a little more than $20,000, with the intent to keep the rest for herself. Paige then faxed a forged satisfaction of lien to the patient’s sister who, not knowing of the fraud, sent it to the insurance company. The insurance company relied on this satisfaction and released the funds to the patient. When the company discovered the fraud, it was referred to the Department of Insurance Fraud, which uncovered Paige’s scheme and a past similar incident the State was able to introduce as evidence at trial.
The case was investigated by the Florida Department of Insurance Fraud and prosecuted by Assistant State Attorneys David Johnston and Sarah Purpura.