West Palm Beach police said they exposed a scheme by three women from Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, who demanded a payout from a restaurant, claiming there was a rock in their food that broke a tooth.
The three arrests stem from an incident on Sept. 22, 2023 at the Avocado Grill located at 125 Datura St., police said.
West Palm Beach police spokesman Mike Jachles said in a news release that Ann Sherry Miller, 45, of Aventura, acted as an injured diner who claimed to have broken a tooth from a rock in a salad, at the direction of Sheila Angelina Miller, 36, and Mary Steimberg, 51.
Police said Steimberg is Sheila Miller’s mother and Ann Miller is Sheila Miller’s sister-in-law.
According to detectives, Sheila Miller, of Hollywood, got fraudulent documents that listed a fake treatment plan for dental work totaling almost $9,000 from a Coral Springs dental practice. Investigators said she posed as the supposed injured woman’s friend and witness, and organized the scam.
Police said Steimberg, of Hollywood, acted as a concerned friend in the scheme, but actually coached both Ann Miller and Sheila Miller on how to execute the plan. Police said Steimberg also communicated with an undercover detective, who posed as the establishment’s owner in the ploy to obtain the fraudulent insurance claim cash.