A Florida husband and wife wanted for charges of fraud were apprehended by the Federal Bureau of Investigations after the 62-year-old husband sought treatment at a hospital for a severe bloody nose. The man had a pacemaker and the pacemaker is thought to play a role in hospital workers identifying the man. The Federal Bureau of Investigations has been after the couple for over two years. The married couple owned a title insurance company together and were wanted for stealing around $10 million from clients.
The husband checked himself into a hospital for a bloody nose that would not stop. Hospital officials will not reveal how they were a part of the identification process of the man. Pacemakers contain identifying information as well as important information about a patient’s heart. Doctors are able to obtain the information by scanning the instrument. Individuals with pacemakers are also supposed to carry a pacemaker identification card. Doctors may have identified the man by scanning his pacemaker and seeing his name did not match hospital records. The man could have also been identified if he mistakenly showed his pacemaker identification card to hospital workers.
The couple was indicted on charges of fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud in October 2009. The couple allegedly used escrow money transferred to the company for their own personal benefit. According to the indictment, buyer and sellers transferred money to the couple’s title company. The couple would then fraudulently transfer the money before real estate transactions were completed. The couple was known to throw expensive parties, and they were thought of as nice neighbors by those who knew them. If convicted for fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud, the couple faces up to 30 years in prison.
Source: The Durango Herald, “Pacemaker Busts Florida Fugitives,” Shane Benjamin, 12/20/10
