July 7, 2025

Kelley Kronenberg Launches Elite “Fraud Fighters” Team To Combat Insurance Fraud

[FT. LAUDERDALE, FL.] – Kelley Kronenberg, a leading law firm with more than four decades defending insurance claims, has announced the formation of its specialized Fraud Fighters Team, an elite unit dedicated to combating insurance fraud across First-Party Property, PIP/No-Fault, Personal Lines Auto, Trucking and Commercial Transportation, Workers’ Compensation, and General Liability lines.

The newly formed team brings together the firm’s most experienced fraud defense attorneys, including former prosecutors and law enforcement officers, to provide insurance carriers with enhanced expertise, credibility, and strategic coordination in fraud cases. With active involvement in the world’s most preeminent fraud organizations, including the International Association of Special Investigation Units (IASIU), Kelley Kronenberg’s Fraud Fighters is the go-to resource for insurance adjusters, claims managers, and executives facing increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes.

“Insurance fraud keeps getting more sophisticated, so we need to get smarter about fighting it,” said Howard Wander, Principal Partner/Chief Operating Officer at Kelley Kronenberg. “Our Fraud Fighters Team is a whole new way of tackling fraud. We’re bringing together legal knowledge, law enforcement experience, and metrics to get better results for our insurance clients.”

Comprehensive Fraud Defense Across Key Practice Areas

The Fraud Fighters Team addresses fraud challenges across multiple insurance sectors:

Personal Injury Protection/No-Fault Fraud Defense: The team tackles staged accidents, medical mill schemes, and PIP fraud networks.

First-Party Property Insurance Fraud Defense: The team combats property damage exaggeration, arson-for-profit schemes, and contractor fraud.

General Liability Fraud Defense: This team uncovers fraud in slip-and-fall claims, phantom injuries, liability manipulation schemes, and professional liability cases involving fabricated malpractice allegations and inflated damages.

Workers’ Compensation Fraud Defense: The team focuses on workplace injury fraud, premium fraud, and organized fraud rings.

Data-Driven Approach and Industry Leadership

The Fraud Fighters Team employs data analytics to identify fraud patterns and develop targeted defense strategies tailored to each client’s specific needs. Team members are actively involved in industry organizations, serve on key committees, contribute as thought leaders, and regularly share insights through media interviews, educational panels, and association event ensuring they stay at the forefront of emerging fraud trends.

“When we work together like this, we can spot patterns that we might miss if everyone was working separately,” explained Wander. “By sharing what we know and our game plans across all our fraud teams, we can see scams coming and strategize the best ways to stop them.”

Meet the Fraud Fighters Team

The Fraud Fighters Team is organized into core focus areas, each led by experienced attorneys with deep knowledge of their practice and fraud trends:

Personal Injury Protection/No-Fault Fraud Defense

Chair: Sam Itayim – Chair, Personal Lines Auto, PIP/No-Fault, and Fraud Defense/SIU Divisions
Team Leads: Lauren Galiszewski (EUO Team Lead) and Walid Mabrouk (NY Team Lead)
Support Team:

Toni Ann Pearson

Ruth Vargyas

Erick Colindres

Nicholas Young

First-Party Property Fraud Defense

Chair: Jeffrey Wank – Chair, First-Party Property and Insurance Coverage Divisions
Team Leads: Daniel Montgomery and Jake Huxtable
Support Team: