TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Briana McCarthy, a former Risk Management Program Specialist with the Florida Department of Financial Services (DFS), is behind bars facing numerous charges after allegedly defrauding state agencies of nearly $2 million.
According to arrest documents, McCarthy approved fraudulent property damage claims and recruited others to participate in the scheme, submitting fake or altered documents on their behalf. Investigators say she processed a total of 224 suspicious claims between 2021 and 2024, including some involving people she personally knew.
Over 200 of these claims reportedly lacked the required documentation. Nearly 80 claimants didn’t have vehicles registered in Florida at the time of the incidents, and 45 either lacked a driver’s license or didn’t own a Florida vehicle. Altered registrations were submitted for 23 claims.
Authorities allege McCarthy accessed Department of Transportation and Department of Risk Management records to manipulate information and create false claims. Some of the fraudulent documents, including altered vehicle registrations, were reportedly found in her desk.
Investigators noted that many claims were processed unusually fast, with 48 claims handled the same day they were received. For comparison, McCarthy’s typical processing time for a claim was about 62 days.
In total, McCarthy allegedly processed over 220 suspicious property damage claims through DRM, resulting in fraudulent payouts exceeding $1.7 million.
She faces charges including grand theft, aggravated white-collar crime, money laundering, scheme to defraud, criminal use of personal identification, solicitation and conspiracy, communications fraud with intent to obtain property, official misconduct, uttering, and forgery.
