Government employees stealing from taxpayers is nothing new.
But the scale of this fraud scheme will leave you speechless.
And Blaise Ingoglia dropped one jaw-dropping number that has Florida taxpayers seeing red.
Six state employees busted in massive $1.7 million fraud operation
Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia announced the arrest of six current and former state employees who allegedly orchestrated one of the most brazen internal fraud schemes in recent years.
The suspects exploited Florida's Division of Risk Management to steal $1.7 million from taxpayers through fake property damage claims.
"Let me be crystal clear: If you steal from Florida taxpayers, you will go to jail," Ingoglia said.
The Criminal Investigations Division uncovered a coordinated effort to game the system designed to protect taxpayers.
Briana McCarthy, a former Department of Financial Services employee, allegedly led the operation.
Investigators say McCarthy processed more than 220 suspicious property damage claims that resulted in the $1.7 million in fraudulent payouts.
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She faces eight separate charges including grand theft, aggravated white-collar crime, money laundering, scheme to defraud, criminal use of personal identification information, communications fraud, official misconduct, and forgery.
The scheme exploited taxpayer-funded insurance system
The fraud targeted Florida's Division of Risk Management, which handles insurance claims for state-owned property including buildings, vehicles, and equipment.
McCarthy allegedly exploited her insider access to push through hundreds of bogus claims.
Investigators say the suspects staged damage, inflated repair costs, or filed claims for damage that never occurred.
Five others were arrested alongside McCarthy.
Brianna Hannan, a former Department of Business and Professional Regulation employee, was charged with grand theft after allegedly cashing a check for over $7,000.
Arrest documents show Hannan claimed she didn't recognize the check when investigators showed it to her.
Carlotta Hawkins, also a former DBPR employee, faces charges of grand theft and cash deposit bank item with intent to defraud.
Documents reveal Hawkins submitted a claim to the Department of Transportation and McCarthy requested supporting documents including a car VIN number and damage repair estimates.
The VIN number belonged to Hawkins but hadn't been involved in any crashes since 2021.
The other documents were never provided, yet McCarthy approved the claim anyway, resulting in a $7,000 payout.
Kearia Walker, Whitney Branch, and Kavon Reese were also charged with grand theft for allegedly cashing checks exceeding $7,000 each.
Branch faces an additional charge of cash deposit bank item with intent to defraud.
More arrests expected as investigation continues
All state agencies involved are cooperating fully with the investigation.
Additional arrests are expected in the coming weeks.
The Criminal Investigations Division is urging anyone connected to the scheme to step forward voluntarily before investigators track them down.
"Our Criminal Investigations Division investigators are working hard to put bad actors behind bars and hold fraudsters accountable," Ingoglia stated. "As CFO, I will not allow waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars to be left unchecked, and I will pursue any criminal attempting to steal from the taxpayers to the fullest extent of the law."
The scale of this operation is staggering.
More than 220 fraudulent claims processed by a single insider.
$1.7 million stolen from Florida taxpayers who work hard to fund state government operations.
Six arrests so far with more coming soon.
This wasn't some opportunistic theft by a rogue employee.
This was a coordinated scheme involving multiple state workers who betrayed the public trust for personal gain.
These state employees had one job – serve the people of Florida.
Instead, they allegedly conspired to rob taxpayers blind through a sophisticated fraud operation.
The fact that McCarthy allegedly processed over 220 bogus claims shows just how broken the oversight system was.
How does someone file that many fraudulent claims without red flags going up?
Ingoglia deserves credit for cracking down hard on government corruption and sending a clear message that stealing from taxpayers won't be tolerated.
But this case raises serious questions about the safeguards that were supposed to prevent exactly this kind of fraud.
When government employees can steal $1.7 million over an extended period without detection, that's a systemic failure.
Florida taxpayers have every right to be furious about this theft.
Sources:
- Drew Dixon, "Blaise Ingoglia: Half A Dozen State Employees Busted In Fraud Scheme," FloridaPolitics.com, February 10, 2026.
- WKMG Staff, "You will go to jail: Florida scammed out of $1.7M in massive fraud scheme, CFO says," ClickOrlando, February 9, 2026.
- WJXT Staff, "6 arrested in $1.7 million Florida taxpayer property damage fraud scheme, CFO announces," News4JAX, February 9, 2026.
- WCTV Staff, "Five more arrested, including former state employees, in $1.7M fraud scheme," WCTV, February 9, 2026.
- Skyler Shepard, "Florida arrests 6 in $1.7 million scheme built on more than 200 fake state claims," CBS12, February 9, 2026.
- Florida Department of Financial Services, "Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia Announces Arrest of Multiple State Government Employees for Fraud," Official Press Release, February 9, 2026.
- Anita Padilla, "Six arrested in $1.7 million Florida property claims fraud scheme," Florida News, February 9, 2026.
