Florida Construction Company President Arrested for Workers’ Comp Fraud Scheme

A Florida construction company president was arrested on charges of falsifying payroll information to avoid workers’ compensation premiums, according to chief financial officer Jeff Atwater.

Randall Morton Seltzer, president of Navarre Industries Inc., was charged with multiple felony counts, including workers’ compensation fraud and grand theft. The arrest resulted from an investigation by the Department of Financial Services’ Division of Insurance Fraud.

The investigation revealed that Seltzer intentionally and systematically under-reported his corporation’s true payroll to his insurance carrier, Guarantee Insurance Company. The fraud investigation was based on a referral from the department’s Division of Workers’ Compensation, which issued the company two stop work orders within a five-year period.

Seltzer allegedly established a shell corporation in 2011 under the name Hip Roof & Valley Inc. to intentionally violate the stop work orders and continue operating his construction business illegally.

Seltzer was booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail and is awaiting bond. If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison and be forced to pay over $2.8 million in restitution.

Source: Florida Chief Financial Officer