A Boca Raton Personal Injury Lawyer Pleads Guilty to 15 Felony Counts of Fraud

Steven Slootsky of Boca Raton managed to avoid jail time after agreeing to plead guilty to 15 felony counts in an insurance scam and forfeit his law license and provide restitution payments to 11 insurance companies.

He was charged with paying tow drivers and auto repair workers for referrals before using those referrals with two medical practices to file false motor vehicle tort and personal injury protection (PIP) claims.

Early Life and Education

Slootsky was arrested along with five other personal injury lawyers for engaging in what’s known as a kickback scheme, a scheme prevalent in legal and healthcare professions that involves third-party representatives obtaining business on behalf of companies for them and taking a cut of profits as compensation for doing so.

James and Elvira Perchitti were two solicitors involved in this case who owned a crash investigation company that allowed them to quickly gather victims’ details, before referring them to clinics that filed insurance claims for any fabricated injuries sustained from accidents.

Slootsky plead guilty to 10 counts of patient brokering and one of organizing a scheme to defraud, as well as agreeing to assist prosecutors with building cases against his co-defendants and repay insurers $170,000 as restitution.

Professional Career

Steven Slootsky was an Florida personal injury attorney accused of participating in a complex insurance scheme. Along with five other lawyers, they were accused of “ambulance chasing”, in which they would wait outside emergency rooms and ambush injured patients with solicitations offers of their services before referring them to medical clinics that filed false insurance claims on their behalf.

Slootsky, who practices law in Boca Raton, was arrested and fined in September for his part in a patient brokering scheme. Restitution payments must also be made to insurance companies. As part of his plea bargain he agreed to relinquish his Florida license but may reapply after five years; Slootsky Perez & Braxton operates within the Legal Services industry.

Personal Life

Steven Slootsky has been with Slootsky, Perez & Braxton for 39 years as its President, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law. His areas of specialty are Insurance, Personal Injury and Workers’ Compensation cases.

He allegedly collaborated with other attorneys and healthcare providers in an illegal kickback scheme – often used by attorneys and healthcare providers looking to gain business through illegal means.

Prosecutors contend he was part of a multimillion-dollar insurance fraud operation involving patient brokering and organized crime. Under his plea deal, Slootsky agreed to spend up to five years in prison and pay over $170,000 in restitution as well as over $2,937 for prosecution costs, $5,000 in investigation expenses and $1,420 for forensic services.

Net Worth

Steven Slootsky was among six Florida personal injury attorneys arrested last fall for participating in a kickback scheme, where lawyers pay tow truck drivers, auto repair shops and medical practices in exchange for referrals of PIP (Personal Injury Protection) clients. Slootsky was sentenced this week with 10 years probation on one count, five years on 14 other counts and $170,000 restitution to 11 insurance companies through plea agreements and cooperation with investigators; additionally he managed to avoid prison time through cooperation and the state Supreme Court granting him disciplinary revocation earlier this year.