Soaring Paws founder accepts prison for insurance fraud
TAMPA — Albert Lonzo Adams III is going to prison.
The Soaring Paws founder, who previously swindled animal lovers through his rescue charity, pleaded guilty Wednesday to 10 felony charges related to a series of insurance claims he made for veterinary procedures that never occurred.
His plea came a day before he was supposed to face trial. In a deal with prosecutors, he agreed to a 15-month prison sentence followed by 10 years of probation.
The charges against Adams, who was already on probation for crimes involving Soaring Paws, centered on two service dogs that court papers indicated belonged to his wife. State investigators said he collected close to $13,000 in phony insurance claims for veterinary treatments that the animals did not receive. The insurance company discovered the scheme, which ultimately spurred a charge of organized fraud and nine counts of making a false statement in support of an insurance claim.
Adams blamed his wife. In court, a defense lawyer described her as being unable to care for herself, but claimed she had told her husband the dogs did receive treatment and the costs of their care needed to be reimbursed.
The defense unsuccessfully sought to have the case dismissed. In court, a judge noted allegations that it was Albert Adams who coordinated the reimbursements, and that the money went into an account controlled by him.
With his guilty plea, Adams, 50, agreed to repay the ill-gotten funds.
He now heads to jail in Lee County, where prosecutors have accused him of trying to sell a woman a dog that did not exist.
A Tampa-based pilot, Adams touted his Soaring Paws charity on Facebook from 2013 to 2015, collecting donations from 1,400 people across the U.S. He raised $142,000, which was supposed to pay for flights to relocate stray dogs and puppies for rescue groups.
Inquiries from the Tampa Bay Times and state investigators revealed that Adams lied while seeking donations. He claimed the money paid for flight costs, but an investigation found that much of it went toward his personal expenses. He ultimately pleaded guilty in that case, too, and received a probation sentence. He was also prohibited from running a charity.
0 Commentaires