Unlicensed Insurance Agent and Agency Head Charged in Fake Coverage Scheme, Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia Says

Two men have been arrested and charged with racketeering conspiracy and fraud after Florida investigators say an insurance agent who had been permanently barred from the business since 2002 sold coverage that did not exist, with help from the agent-in-charge of the agency where he worked. Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia announced the arrests of Yaudat Antonio Ohan and Alberto Villaruel, and the case will be prosecuted by the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office.

The Florida Department of Financial Services said its Criminal Investigations Division made the arrests after Ohan allegedly operated as an insurance agent without a license and Villaruel, as the agency's agent-in-charge, allowed him to provide fraudulent coverage. Both men are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

How the case began

According to the department's release, the investigation started when a construction company submitted two fraudulent certificates of insurance to a DFS compliance officer. A certificate of insurance is the document businesses, and especially contractors, use to show clients and regulators that they carry required coverage.

When investigators checked with the insurance company named on the documents, it confirmed that the policies had never been active. The construction company had paid a $10,500 premium to Ohan, who provided the owner with the certificates, the department said.

Investigators then turned to Ohan, who the department said had been permanently barred from holding an insurance agent license since 2002. Detectives found he was working as an insurance agent at Villaruel's agency. The department said further investigation showed Villaruel knew Ohan was unlicensed and let him collect premiums without providing valid insurance coverage.

The department did not name the agency or say where it is located, and it did not say whether investigators have identified other customers who paid for coverage they never received.

The charges

Ohan was arrested Sept. 28, 2026. He is charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering, organized scheme to defraud, grand theft, uttering a forged instrument, unlawful use of a telecommunications device, transacting insurance without a license and insurance funds diversion, according to DFS.

Villaruel was arrested Oct. 20, 2026. He is charged with grand theft, organized scheme to defraud and conspiracy to commit racketeering.

The department announced both arrests in a release dated Oct. 27. WFLA reported on the case Oct. 31.

Several of the charges carry significant penalties under Florida law. Three of the most serious are outlined below:

Under the organized fraud statute, the classification depends on the total value of property obtained: $50,000 or more is a first-degree felony, $20,000 to under $50,000 is a second-degree felony and less than $20,000 is a third-degree felony. The state has not said what total amount it alleges the scheme involved beyond the $10,500 premium that started the investigation.

Florida's insurance licensing law makes it a felony both to knowingly transact insurance without a license and to knowingly help an unlicensed person do so.

What the CFO said

Ingoglia, who as CFO heads the Department of Financial Services, framed the case as a cost passed on to every policyholder in the state.

"Floridians' insurance policies are meant to protect them, not fund criminals' bank accounts. Insurance fraud is a crime tax on law abiding Floridians, and I will not stand for that cost to be passed onto Florida families. Anyone acting as an unlicensed insurance agent or anyone aiding unlicensed agents will face the full brunt of the law and be put in handcuffs."

Part of a wider fraud push

The arrests are the latest in a string of insurance fraud cases the department has announced this year. In August, Ingoglia announced the arrests of a life insurance agent and her husband in what DFS described as a nearly $382,000 insurance fraud scheme involving fraudulent life insurance policies obtained with false census records, employment information, enrollments and claims. DFS has also announced the arrest of a man accused of submitting 41 vehicle insurance applications on luxury vehicles he never owned in an alleged attempt to collect $206,000 in premium refunds.

Separately, Florida Insurance Commissioner Mike Yaworsky's Office of Insurance Regulation ordered an immediate suspension against Hydrogen Deep, LLC, doing business as the Wave Insurance, after market conduct examinations found it had operated without the required license. The office urged consumers to make sure businesses are properly licensed before signing a contract or doing business with them.

In a release marking his first year in office, Ingoglia's office said that since he took office, the department's Criminal Investigations Division has made more than 1,200 arrests in fraud cases. Ingoglia is on the ballot Tuesday, Nov. 3, as he seeks a full term as CFO against a Democratic challenger.

Why it matters for Florida policyholders and contractors

Fake coverage leaves victims exposed in ways they may not discover until something goes wrong. A contractor who believes it is insured could face an uncovered claim after a job site accident or property damage, and the customers who hired that contractor could be left without recourse. State officials, including Ingoglia, describe fraud as a cost passed on to all policyholders, a sensitive point in a state where property and auto insurance costs have been a top concern for years.

The case also shows how certificates of insurance can be forged. Because a certificate is only a summary, businesses that rely on one can confirm coverage directly with the insurance company listed, as the investigators did here.

How to protect yourself

• Check that any agent or agency is licensed through the Florida Department of Financial Services before buying a policy.
• Confirm a new policy or certificate of insurance directly with the insurance company, not only through the agent.
• Be wary of paying premiums to an individual rather than to an agency or insurer.
• Report suspected fraud to the DFS insurance fraud hotline at 1-800-378-0445 or online at FraudFreeFlorida.com.

What's next

The case now moves to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, which will decide how to proceed on the charges. Court dates and the men's pleas had not been announced. DFS is encouraging anyone with information about the scheme, or about other unlicensed insurance activity, to contact its fraud hotline.