Scammers collected insurance on same burned furniture over and over, authorities say

The ringleaders behind a $1.4 million insurance scam veered little from the script that worked the first time in 2007, authorities say. To start, they found accomplices who rented big houses in South Miami-Dade, which they then filled with used furniture, clothing and other items from stores like Goodwill, authorities say. Then they took out renter’s insurance policies. After a few months, these renters would “accidentally” leave a candle burning next to a fake plant or some other flammable item, sparking a fire that would burn the homes’ interior.