Former Tampa Pet Charity CEO Pleads Guilty To Pet Insurance Fraud

TAMPA, FL — The former CEO of a Tampa nonprofit for pets will serve 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to bilking a pet insurance company out of nearly $13,000.

Albert Lonzo Adams III, who ran Soaring Paws, pleaded guilty to 10 felony fraud charges. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison followed by 10 years of probation. He's also required to repay the $13,000 he scammed.

“This con man pled guilty because we built such a strong case against him with our law enforcement partners,” Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren said. “He has preyed on the huge hearts of dog lovers. Once again, he’ll face serious consequences for his scams—with time behind bars.”

In 2018, Hillsborough prosecutors convicted Adams of defrauding supporters of his Soaring Paws charity after he used donations that were intended to help fly abused animals to new homes to pay personal expenses.

The new charges come not from false charity work, but from pet insurance fraud. An investigation found that Adams signed up for a pet insurance policy, which would reimburse him for his pets’ medical expenses. Adams filed claims for $12,984.98 in medical procedures that were never performed with pet insurance provider, Healthy Paws, between March 4 and April 8, 2020.

The pet insurance provider discovered the deception and contacted law enforcement.

Investigators from the Florida Chief Financial Officer’s office and prosecutors from the Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office collaborated on the investigation, which identified phony claims for nine nonexistent procedures supposedly performed on two dogs belonging to Adams.

Initially, Adams was charged with six felonies, but prosecutors added four additional charges as the investigation continued.

The resulting charges are one count of organized fraud less than $20,000 and nine counts of false statement in support of an insurance claim less than $20,000. Each charge is a third-degree felony.

Adams was on probation from his Soaring Paws fraud conviction when he committed these new crimes, leading Judge Lyann Goudie to impose the lengthy prison and probation term.

Adams entered his guilty plea July 7, one day before his trial was set to begin.

Assistant State Attorney Amy Casanova Ward, part of the Economic Crimes Unit at the Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office, led the prosecution.

Before heading to state prison, Adams was taken south to the Lee County Jail, where he has another pending criminal case for attempting to fraudulently sell a woman a nonexistent dog for $575.

See related story: Charges Filed Against Tampa Man For Pet Insurance Fraud