More than a dozen names, some understood to be aliases, have been revealed as the principals behind a number of bogus medical malpractice insurers claiming to be based in Bermuda.

The three companies and their owners are under fire in the US for providing medical malpractice insurance to numerous abortion clinics across the country despite not holding any licensing to do so.

Several state 'cease and desist' orders have been put in place by state insurance regulators to ban the bogus firms from doing business. And on the Island the firms have been listed on a regulatory warning list from the Bermuda Monetary Authority to alert the public that these are not bona fide ventures.

The sham insurance firms ? Professional Liability Insurance Corp. (PLIC), Medical Risk Associates RPG and Unimed ? claim to be based on the Island but the business address they list is no more than a private mailbox at Mailboxes Unlimited.

Mailboxes said a confidentiality agreement prevented it from revealing who was the holder of the box.

However, was able to obtain the US telephone numbers for two of those named, William A. Ledee III and Ignatius Angelo "Iggy" DeBlasi, both of Georgia. Messages left for both men on Monday had not been returned by presstime last night.

Mr. Ledee was contacted at Ledee & Associates in Atlanta and Mr. DeBlasi at Unimed in Atlanta.

Unimed appeared to have sponsored industry conferences for abortion clinics in the past. And In June of last year Mr. DeBlasi, acting as Unimed, was listed as a sponsor and speaker at the Abortion Clinics On-Line (ACOL) Visions Conference in Atlanta.

Unimed's website states it is an insurance support network designed to assist physicians in the management of their practices in areas of risk and professional liability coverage.

The full list of names associated with the sham insurance companies are Mr. Ledee, Mr. DeBlasi, James Reynolds, Matthew Reed, Mishima Murasaki, Bertha Louise Ledee, Judy Frese, Jennifer Anderson aka Brooke Harris, Robert Edward Ledee, Suzanne Suhrie, Charles Bailey, M.D., and "Lori" and "Elizabeth" whose surnames are unknown, according to an order in Washington state.

In addition to the BMA warning and the regulatory cease and desist orders, American medical organisations have been sending out notices to warn medical personnel off doing business with any of the companies or principals, citing it as "malpractice insurance fraud".

One of the circulars, from the Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner Care in Washington state, warned that James Reynolds and Steven J. Reynolds were believed to be names used by Mr. LeDee in both Atlanta and Florida.

There was also a warning against a fourth company, Crowne Global Group, Ltd., which was also said to be based on the Island.

An inspector with the fraud unit of the Bermuda Police said last week that they had background information on the bogus medical malpractice insurers but there was no active investigation underway. The companies are not legally registered or licensed in Bermuda.

According to a report in The Associated Press last week, there have been decrees against the companies in Washington state, Florida, Alabama, Illinois, Mississippi, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Texas.

An abortion clinic in North Dakota ? where current law reportedly does not require medical providers to have medical malpractice protection ? is now also under fire for getting medical malpractice from the sham operators as they are not licensed with that state.

That state's insurance commissioner last month ordered PLIC not to do business in the state.