Whipped Cream Vodka Not so Sweet for Florida Woman Linked to False Insurance Claims
A broken bottle of whipped cream-flavored vodka may have turned into a just dessert for an Orlando-area woman who allegedly filed false insurance claims.
Florida authorities announced Thursday that Anita Jovic, of Seminole County, has been charged with insurance fraud and other crimes after she claimed that a bottle of Pinnacle vodka – whipped cream flavor – had broken and caused severe injuries to her hand.
The woman submitted a photograph and a fraudulent hospital invoice to Broadspire, a Georgia-based workers’ compensation and health insurance company, Florida’s chief financial officer said in a news release. Another claim was made to Beam Suntory, the liquor manufacturer, under the name of Annette Jobita.
Broadspire identified many similarities between the two claims and alerted the state Department of Financial Services’ investigative division, CFO Jimmy Patronis said.
An investigation found that Jovic had filed five product liability claims using numerous false identities, attempting to defraud Beam Suntory, Broadspire and Travelers Insurance of more than $30,000. She received some $13,000 in settlement payouts between 2017 and 2022, the DFS statement said.
Jovic this week turned herself into the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.