Georgia residents regularly deal with insurance agents to obtain coverage for homes, vehicles and other valuable assets. Transactions are routinely conducted with an expectation that an agent is properly submitting premiums payments made by a client to an agency. A McIntosh County agent was recently arrested for insurance fraud for allegedly keeping money intended for insurance companies.
A report from the Insurance Commission’s Fraud Unit claims that a 35-year-old man was personally using funds his clients had remitted to pay for their car insurance. Since the money was apparently never applied to the clients’ insurance premiums, none of them were properly insured. Had an accident occurred, the clients could have experienced potential financial hardships.
The agent was arrested at his insurance office, where he also resides. The man also received an administrative order from the Commissioner that immediately revoked his agent’s license. Fraud investigators from the Insurance Department will be addressing concerns from the agent’s existing clients. The man can request a hearing regarding his license within 10 days following receipt of the order. Both administrative and criminal investigations regarding the case continue, according to the Insurance Commissioner.
When someone is facing charge of insurance fraud or other white collar crimes, it would be beneficial to seek the guidance of a Georgia criminal defense attorney. Anyone charged with these violations has the right to obtain a lawyer and develop a defense. An experienced attorney will review all the information available and proceed with the best defense possible. Having a strong defense can help minimize any negative impact on someone’s life.
Source: firstcoastnews.com, “Man arrested for insurance fraud in Darien, Ga.“, April 4, 2017