The Division of Criminal Investigations of the Florida Department of Financial Services arrested five individuals in Miami-Dade on Wednesday morning for their alleged involvement in a fraud scheme to obtain insurance agent licenses operated from an office located in Doral; two additional suspects remain at large.
The five detainees —Yohana Fernandez, Adriana Gil, Alejandro Mollinedo (36 years old), Iyad Lamaa Mezher, and Angel Contreras (44 years old)— were arrested around 6:00 a.m. The suspects who have not yet been captured are Lenys Gil and Katherinne Zerpa, according to information from Local 10 News.
According to the arrest reports, the scheme operated between 2022 and 2024 using a calculated method: aspiring insurance agents appeared before the camera during online exams while another person, off-camera, managed the computer and answered the questions for them.
Each defendant would have played a different role within the operation.
Fernandez and Gil allegedly coordinated the exams, shared credentials, and recruited new candidates. In Gil's case, investigators documented more than 1,000 WhatsApp messages related to these activities.
Mollinedo would have completed pre-licensing courses and evaluations on behalf of others in exchange for money. His brother-in-law, Angel Contreras, collected payments via Zelle and transferred a usual fee of 30 dollars per applicant to Mollinedo.
Mezher, for his part, allegedly referred candidates for the scheme, provided information to coordinate the exams, and made two money transfers totaling 400 dollars.
The charges faced by the detainees include alleged organized crime activity, conspiracy, an organized scheme to defraud, illegal use of a communication device, and acting as an unlicensed insurance agent, although the charges vary for each individual.
The agency involved in the investigation operated in a building near the Doral City Hall, on a property that is currently undergoing demolition.
This case adds to a wave of similar frauds that has been shaking South Florida for several years.
The most direct precedent is that of the Academy D&R, located in Virginia Gardens, whose owner Diana Nodarse Cruz was arrested in December 2024 along with her husband and son for manipulating at least 820 exams between 2021 and 2024, charging between 400 and 2,000 dollars to ensure approval.
That same case had a new round of arrests in December 2024, when Darwin José Ayala and Zurisadairis Salazar were arrested, among others.
On March 4, 2026, twelve more individuals associated with D&R Financial Services were arrested and taken to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
The insurance sector—especially health, life, and health market plans—does not require a university degree and offers income through commissions.
That demand has been exploited by networks that charge applicants to have third parties complete the courses and exams on their behalf.
Those who have obtained a license through fraudulent means face serious consequences: the Florida Department of Financial Services may revoke, suspend, or refuse to renew the license, and submitting a false application constitutes a second-degree misdemeanor that can escalate to a felony if the conduct involves organized fraud. The investigation remains ongoing.
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