Almost three years ago, in May of 2023, a circuit court judge in Lee County, Florida, sharply criticized a restoration contractor, accusing him of concealing the true cost of condominium roof work in an assignment-of-benefits claim with Tower Hill insurance.
Six months later, the state Department of Financial Services and local prosecutors brought criminal fraud charges against the contractor, Ricky McGraw, of South Florida Restoration Services, charging him with insurance fraud and grand theft. Florida’s chief financial officer at the time, Jimmy Patronis, now a Congressman, called the alleged fraud “despicable” and a reason behind rising premiums in the state.
Last week, just before the McGraw case was set to go to trial, it was dismissed. The move has left some property insurance carriers and their advocates frustrated that the man who had been called the “poster boy” for questionable claim amounts—and for hundreds of AOB lawsuits against insurers—will not see jail time.
A Jan. 26 nolle prosequi court filing by Lee County Assistant State Attorney John Humphreville did not provide an explanation for why the charges were dropped after two years of evidence gathering and dozens of court filings. A spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office said it was due to a lack of evidence, according to a local news report…