Sarasota Sheriff's Office employee arrested on fraud charges

A former Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office employee has been arrested following an investigation into workers’ compensation fraud.

Neil Wilson was placed on administrative leave on Sept. 6 following an investigation by the Florida Department of Financial Services into a suspected fraudulent workers’ compensation claim. The claim, which spanned 13 months, resulted in a loss of $30,522.03 in amount paid to date, with a total amount incurred of $64,033.26.

Following the outcome of the investigation, the Department of Financial Services presented its case to the state attorney’s office.

The state filed one count of workers’ compensation fraud of $20,000 or more but less than $100,000, a second-degree felony.

Prior to his arrest, Wilson was employed with the Sheriff’s Office from January 1998 to September 2023, where he was assigned to the agency’s patrol bureau.