New York, NY – June 17, 2025 – Roosevelt Road Re, Ltd. and Tradesman Program Managers, LLC have filed a sweeping federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) lawsuit in the Eastern District of New York against another prominent New York City personal injury law firm, its founder and dozens of associated medical providers, alleging a wide-ranging scheme to defraud insurers through staged construction accidents and fraudulent medical treatments.
The RICO action marks the fifth such legal action Roosevelt Road and Tradesman have taken since 2024 against various medical providers, medical centers and law firms in the greater New York metropolitan area.
The 162-page complaint filed June 16 outlines a complex enterprise involving attorneys, doctors, chiropractors, and other medical providers who allegedly conspired to recruit construction workers – many of whom were undocumented – to stage or exaggerate workplace injuries. These workers were then funneled into a network of complicit clinics and subjected to unnecessary and invasive medical procedures, including surgeries, to inflate the value of personal injury and workers’ compensation claims.
“This lawsuit shines a light on a scheme that targeted vulnerable individuals and defrauded insurers of millions of dollars,” said Tradesman CEO Daniel Hickey Jr.
According to the complaint, the law firm and its partners allegedly used “runners” to recruit claimants, arranged litigation funding that kept plaintiffs financially dependent, and colluded with doctors to fabricate or exaggerate injuries. The fraudulent documentation was then submitted to the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board and to courts throughout New York, resulting in exorbitant settlements based on fictitious or medically unnecessary claims.
Tradesman alleges the fraud has been ongoing since at least 2018 and escalated significantly in recent years, with damages already totaling in the millions.
Among the named defendants in the RICO action are over 30 medical practices and providers across specialties including orthopedics, radiology, pain management, and acupuncture. Many are alleged to have operated out of a single Brooklyn address, described in the complaint as a hub for fraudulent referrals and treatments.
“Tradesman has long been committed to protecting the integrity of New York’s labor force and construction industry, which is why we have been pursuing these RICO lawsuits over the last year,” Hickey Jr. said.
Roosevelt Road Re and Tradesman are seeking damages under civil RICO statutes, including damages and injunctive relief.
The lawsuit follows a series of recent civil actions taken by other insurance companies targeting similar fraudulent schemes across the state.
Media Contact:
Kristin Thorne
Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications
317-296-5870
ABOUT ROOSEVELT ROAD SPECIALTY AND TRADESMAN PROGRAM MANAGERS
Established in 2016, Roosevelt Road Specialty is a market-leading specialty managing general underwriter delivery expertly designed insurance solutions that empower brokers to serve clients faster, more accurately and with greater confidence. Insurance Business Review named Roosevelt Road Specialty a Top MGA Company of 2025.
In 2017, Roosevelt Road Specialty created Tradesman Program Managers – its reinsurance program for trade contractors and construction. Tradesman combines expert underwriting, state-of-the-art technology, comprehensive loss control and risk mitigation to address the unique risks of the construction industry.
In 2024, Roosevelt Road Specialty and Tradesman initiated the first of five federal RICO lawsuits against lawyers, doctors and medical providers across New York City and the greater metropolitan area. The suits allege a widespread scheme to defraud the insurance and construction industries and the New York State workers’ compensation system.
Learn more at www.rooseveltroadspecialty.com.
