The Arkansas Department of Corrections inmates pictured
above were all convicted of insurance fraud.
|
| WATSON, MARCUS, Pulaski
County. On January
23, 2012, Watson entered a plea of guilty to one count of Insurance
Fraud (D felony) and was sentenced to three years probation, a $500
fine, and court costs. On May 25, 2010, Watson produced a fictitious
insurance card and sold it to Mance Settles for the amount of
$10. Settles attempted to use said card as proof of insurance at
the Little Rock, District Court. |
| VERSEY, LASHONDA, Pulaski
County. On December
19, 2011, Versey entered a plea of guilty to four counts of insurance
fraud. She was a former employee of the Arkansas Department of Human
Services (DHS) and the Arkansas School for the Blind (AFB). Information
Technology scans were done on both of her computers at DHS and ASB and
it was determined that on at least four separate occasions she
forwarded fictitious insurance cards that she had created on her
government computer. She was sentenced to three years probation, a $500
fine, court costs and 30 hours community service. Sentencing was pursuant to Act 531. |
| MAXWELL, CHRISTOPER, Pulaski
County. On December
19, 2011, Maxwell entered a plea of guilty to one count of Attempt to
Commit a Fraudulent Insurance Act (Class A misdemeanor). He was
sentenced to one year probation, a $500 fine, court costs, and drug
screening costs. Sentencing was pursuant to Act 531. On July 1, 2010,
Maxwell purchased a fictitious insurance card with the intent of using
such to register an automobile at the Arkansas Department of Motor
Vehicles. |
| FOX, LATANYA, Pulaski
County. On November
14, 2011, Fox entered a negotiated plea of guilty to two counts of
Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class D felony). Fox was sentenced to three
years probation and payment of a $1,000 fine. She was given four days
jail credit and sentenced pursuant to Act 531. Fox was accused of
selling two fake auto insurance cards and admitted that she had created
the cards in question. |
| CONNER, MERRELLE.
On November 10, 2011, Conner was sentenced to 60 months in the
Arkansas Department of Corrections on one count
of Theft of Property by Deception and 60 months Suspended Imposition of
Sentence for his additional four counts of Theft of Property by
Deception. As a condition of the suspended imposition of sentence,
Conner was ordered to pay $12,650 restitution to the victims and court
costs. Conner pled guilty to charges that he had taken funds paid by
clients of Central Arkansas Funeral Services for preneed burial plans
and used the money for his own purposes. |
| BELL-YOUNG, YOLANDA, Pulaski County.
On October 19, 2011, Bell-Young entered a plea of guilty to one count
of Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class D felony). She received two years
probation, a $500 fine, 50 hours community service, and was sentenced
pursuant to Act 531. On May 20, 2011, Yolanda provided a fictitious
insurance card to the Little Rock District Court for proof of insurance
on her automobile. She made the card herself after receiving a traffic
citation for failure to provide insurance. |
| ELLIOTT, DEBBIE, Pulaski County.
On October 11, 2011, Elliott entered a plea of guilty to one count of
Attempt to Commit a Fraudulent Insurance Act (Class A misdemeanor). She
received one year probation, a $500 fine, and court costs. Elliott was
involved in an automobile accident at 8:45 a.m. on April 21, 2011. At
the time of the accident, Elliott did not maintain collision insurance
on her vehicle, a 2008 Lexus. At 10:45 a.m., Elliott called Geico
Insurance and purchased collision insurance coverage on her 2008 Lexus.
On May 19, 2011, she called Geico and reported the damage to her 2008
Lexus, stating the damage occurred on April 23, 2011. |
| STAPP, TRACEY, Pulaski County.
On October 11, 2011, Stapp entered a plea of guilty to one count of
Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class D felony). She received two years
probation, a $500 fine, 25 hours community service, and was sentenced
pursuant to Act 346. Stapp was involved in a two-car automobile
accident on October 9, 2009. A police report was completed which showed
Tracey Stapp to be at fault in the accident. Stapp did not have
collision coverage on her vehicle at the time of the accident. In an
attempt to have the damage on her vehicle covered by her uninsured
motorist coverage, she altered the police report to show the other
driver was at fault and submitted the altered police report to her
insurance company. |
| JOSEPH, BRENDRA, Pulaski County.
On September 29, 2011, Joseph entered a plea of guilty to one count of
Attempted Fraudulent Insurance Act (Class A misdemeanor). She received
one year probation and a $1,000 fine. On January 26, 2011, Joseph
provided a fictitious insurance card to the Little Rock District Court
in an attempt to have a traffic citation dismissed. |
| LEWIS, PETRA, Pulaski County.
On September 29, 2011, Lewis entered a plea of guilty to one count of
Attempted Fraudulent Insurance Act (Class A misdemeanor). She received
one year probation and a $1,000 fine. On January 26, 2011, Lewis
provided a fictitious insurance card to the Little Rock District Court
in an attempt to have a traffic citation dismissed. |
| GRANGER, MELISSA, Sebastian County.
On September 28, 2011, Granger pleaded guilty to one count of
Theft of Property in an amount greater than $500, but less than $2,500
(C felony) and one count of Fraudulent Insurance Acts (D felony). She
received a five year suspended sentence, a $1,000 fine, $150 court
costs, $31 jail fee, and restitution of $2,149 at the rate of $50 per
month, beginning on November 1, 2011. She was an employee of Steven
Shoppach Insurance Agency. Granger accepted premium payments from
customers and instead of forwarding the payments to the insurance
companies, she kept the money for herself. |
| PIPPINS, RICKEY, Pulaski County.
On September 26, 2011, Pippins entered a guilty plea to three counts of
Insurance Fraud and was sentenced to two years probation, a $500 fine
and court costs. He was sentenced pursuant to Act 531. Once in 2008,
and twice in 2009, Pippins contacted a Department of Human Services
employee about creating fraudulent insurance cards, which he produced. |
| GARRISON, TONY, Pope County.
On September 12, 2011, Garrison entered a plea of guilty to Criminal
Attempt to Commit Insurance Fraud (Class A misdemeanor). He was
sentenced to 90 days suspended sentence and a $500 fine and court
costs. Garrison is a logger in Hector, Arkansas, who was required to
have insurance in order to conduct business. He created a fictitious
proof of insurance to facilitate this. It was discovered when the
logging mill checked with the insurance carrier who stated they had no
insured by that name. |
| LOWE, STEVEN, Pulaski County.
On August 31, 2011, Lowe entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one
count of Attempted Insurance Fraud (Class A misdemeanor). Lowe was
sentenced to one year probation and payment of a $500 fine and court
costs. Lowe was accused of presenting a fake proof of insurance card to
the Sherwood Revenue Office in an attempt to license his car without
purchasing insurance. |
| HARRIS, AMBER, Pulaski County.
On August 30, 2011, Harris entered a plea of guilty to one count of
Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class D felony). Harris received three years
probation, a $1,000 fine, 50 hours community service, and was sentenced
pursuant to Act 531. Her probation will be transferred to Colorado,
where she currently lives. Harris provided a fictitious insurance card
to the Little Rock District Court as proof of insurance for a traffic
citation she she had received earlier. |
| NEAL, NICOLE, Pulaski County.
On August 30, 2011, Neal entered a plea of guilty to one count of
Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class D felony). Neal received two years
probation, a $750 fine, 25 hours community service, and was sentenced
pursuant to Act 531. On May 5, 2011, Neal sold a fictitious insurance
card to a Department Investigator for the amount of $100. |
| WESTBROOK, BRENDA, Pulaski County.
On August 29, 2011, Westbrook entered a plea of guilty to one count of
Forgery Second Degree (Class D felony), and received three years
probation, a $500 fine, court costs, and was sentenced pursuant to Act
531. Brenda Westbrook was an employee of the Arkansas Department of
Human Services (DHS) who was forging proof of insurance cards on her
government computer and forwarding them out to third parties. DHS
information technology security personnel discovered the forgeries
during a routine security sweep in August, 2010. |
| BOLDEN, JOHN, Pulaski County.
On August 29, 2011, Bolden pleaded guilty to one count of Fraudulent
Insurance Acts (Class D felony). Bolden received one year probation, a
$500 fine, court costs, and a public defender fee. He was sentenced
pursuant to Act 531. On May 3, 2011, Bolden presented a fictitious
insurance card to the Little Rock District Court in an attempt to
provide proof of insurance in relation to a citation he had received
earlier. |
| FULLER, MARCUS, Pulaski County.
On August 8, 2011, Fuller entered a plea of guilty to one count of
insurance fraud and received three years in the Department of
Corrections. This sentence is to run concurrent with another possession
of narcotics charge. On September 28, 2010, Fuller attempted to
purchase a car from Zimmerman Motors in North Little Rock and offered
up a fraudulent proof of insurance to complete the sale. His
co-defendant, Shirley Cohen, stated that she went to the public library
and produced the fraudulent proof of insurance from the Progressive
Insurance website at Fuller's request. She previously entered a plea of
guilty to one count of insurance fraud relating to this event. |
| MCFERGUSON, ZANTREECE, Pulaski County.
On August 8, 2011, McFerguson entered a plea of guilty to one count of
Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class D felony). McFerguson was sentenced to
two years probation, a $1,000 fine, court costs, and a public defender
fee of $100. On June 9, 2010, McFerguson appeared in the Little Rock
District Court to appear for a citation he received for failure to
provide proof of insurance. For his proof of insurance to the court,
McFerguson provided a fictitious insurance card. |
| WIGGINTON, CHARLES HOUSTON, Greene County.
On June 24, 2011, Wigginton was found guilty of one count Arson and
received ten years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections
(ADC); one count Fraudulent Insurance Act and received six years
in the ADC. He plead guilty to the counts of Theft of Property and
Defraud Secured Creditor. All time is to run concurrent. Wigginton was
accused of intentionally burning his home to collect the insurance. |
| BLUE, ANGELA, Pulaski County.
On June 22, 2011, Blue entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one count
of Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class D felony). She was sentenced to two
years probation, a $750 fine, court costs, and 25 hours of community
service. The sentence was pursuant to Act 531. On November 24, 2010,
Blue possessed a fictitious insurance card which she stated was to be
used to register her automobile with the Arkansas DMV. |
| BORDERS, TINA, Pulaski County.
On June 14, 2011, Borders entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one
count of Attempt to Commit a Fraudulent Insurance Act (Class A
misdemeanor). She was sentenced to one year probation, a $250 fine,
court costs, and 20 hours community service. On July 1, 2010, Borders
submitted a fictitious insurance card to the Arkansas Department of
Motor Vehicles in an attempt to show proof of insurance on her vehicle. |
| PEACOCK, KENNETH, Washington County.
On June 9, 2011, Peacock pled guilty to Falsifying Business Records
(Class A misdemeanor) and was sentenced to one year probation plus
court costs and restitution of $1,000, pursuant to Act 531. On January
27, 2009, Peacock's shop building suffered roof damage in an ice storm
and he filed a claim with Nationwide Insurance. The work was completed
in 2010 and Nationwide requested an invoice with the amount for the
repair. Peacock provided them with an invoice dated June 14, 2010, in
the amount of $1,225 for work done by the roofing company. It was later
determined that the roofing company had actually charged Peacock $225
for the repair. |
| COMBS, DIANE, Crittenden County.
On June 6, 2011, Combs entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one count
of Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class D felony). Ms. Combs was sentenced
to five years probation, a $3,000 fine, and $200 court costs. On or
about May 30, 2008, Diane Combs obtained automobile insurance coverage
from Nationwide Insurance on a 2005 GMC Envoy. On her application she
indicated that she was the titled and registered owner of the vehicle.
Diane Combs further indicated that there was no other insurance
coverage on the vehicle. Combs withheld from Nationwide Insurance that
the 2005 GMC was actually titled and registered by Terry Gibson, that
Terry Gibson had purchased the vehicle on May 8, 2008, and that he had
already taken out an insurance policy on the 2005 GMC with Progressive
Insurance on May 8, 2008. |
| COMBS, JEROME, Crittenden County.
On June 6, 2011, Combs entered a negotiated plea of guilty to four
counts of Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class D felony). He was sentenced
to six years probation and payment of a $5,000 fine, $200 court costs,
and $9,716.13 in restitution. The charges against Combs stemmed from
his actions as part of a fraud ring operating in Eastern Arkansas. The
members of the ring filed claims for accidents that never happened,
mostly for the same damages to Comb's motorcycle. Several of Comb's
co-conspirators have been convicted as a result of the investigation. |
| BOHANAN, JENAIS, Pulaski County.
On June 6, 2011, Bohanan entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one
count of Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class D felony). She was sentenced
to 24 months supervised probation, 20 hours community service, and
payment of a $500 fine. Bohanan was sentenced as a first offender
pursuant to Act 531. She received one day jail credit for time served.
Bohanan was accused of printing a fake proof of insurance card and
using it at the Revenue Office in an attempt to avoid purchasing auto
insurance when licensing her car. |
| KRZYSIEK, SHEREE, Pulaski County.
On May 26, 2011, Krzysiek entered a negotiated plea of guilty to
Attempted Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class A misdemeanor). She received
one year probation, a $750 fine, court costs, 25 hours of community
service, and was sentenced pursuant to Act 346. Krzysiek purchased a fictitious insurance
card from an unidentified neighbor and on September 7, 2010, attempted
to register her vehicle with the Arkansas DMV using the fictitious card. |
| MOORE, EDWIN, Pulaski County.
On May 10, 2011, Moore entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one count
of Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class D felony). Moore was sentenced to
two years probation and payment of a $1,000 fine. Moore was accused of
presenting a fictitious insurance card in Little Rock District Court. |
| COHEN, SHIRLEY, Pulaski County.
On May 4, 2011, Cohen entered a plea of guilty to insurance fraud and received two years of probation, a
$500 fine, court costs, and 20 hours of community service, pursuant to
Act 531. She was convicted for producing a fake insurance card for
Marcus Fuller to facilitate Mr. Fuller getting his recently purchased
vehicle registered and tagged. She gave a recorded statement to
investigators that Mr. Fuller contacted her about getting him proof of
insurance and she went to the Library and googled Progressive Insurance
and copied one of their cards and gave it to Fuller. This was presented
at the Revenue Office where it was determined to be fake. The case
against Mr. Fuller is still pending. |
| DAVIS, TASHINA, Pulaski County.
On April 22, 2011, Davis entered a negotiated plea to two counts of Fraudulent Insurance
Acts (Class D
felony). Davis was sentenced to three years probation, a $2,500 fine,
court costs, and 50 hours community service. The sentence was pursuant
to Act 346. Davis produced fictitious insurance cards naming Jerri
Booth and Ezzard Gilliam as the insureds, purporting to show proof of
insurance with Vision Insurance Company, for the purpose of registering
vehicles with the Arkansas Department of Motor Vehicles. |
| WILSON, SHUNDRA, Pulaski County.
On April 20, 2011, Shundra entered a negotiated plea to four counts of Insurance Fraud (Class D
felony). Shundra was sentenced to three years probation, a $1,000 fine,
court costs, and 60 hours of community service. Shundra produced fictitious insurance cards naming Lee Wilson, Sonya
Robinson, Ricky Braggs, and Stanley Jones as the insureds, purporting
to show proof of insurance with Alfa Vision Insurance Company, for the
purpose of registering vehicles with the Arkansas Department of Motor
Vehicles. |
| DAVIS, MARIA, Saline County.
On April 18, 2011, Davis entered a negotiated plea for one count of Attempt to
Commit a Fraudulent Insurance Act (Class A misdemeanor). Davis was
sentenced to one year probation, a $2,500 fine, court costs of $150,
and 40 hours of community service. On May 24, 2010, Davis was involved
in an automobile accident. At the time of the accident she had no
insurance coverage, as such coverage had previously lapsed. While at
the scene of the accident, Davis called her insurance agent and
obtained coverage from Progressive Insurance without telling her agent
she was calling from the scene of an accident. Two days later, Davis
called Progressive Insurance Company to report the accident, and stated
that the accident occurred after she bought the policy. |
| FINLEY, LYNETTE, Pulaski County.
On April 18, 2011, Finley entered a negotiated plea for two counts of Insurance Fraud (Class D
felony). Finley was sentenced to two years probation, a $1,000 fine
plus court costs, and 30 hours community service. Sentencing was
pursuant to Act 531. For count one, Finley produced a fictitious
insurance card on February 24, 2009, naming herself as the insured with
All American Insurance Company. She then distributed the card via
e-mail to a co-worker, Stephanie McCuien, so that McCuien could produce
herself a fictitious card. For count two, Finley produced a fictitious
insurance card on December 11, 2009, for Lorraine Chism, purporting to
show insurance with Vision Insurance Company for a 2002 Chevrolet
Cavalier. The card was to be used for the registration of a vehicle
with the Arkansas DMV. |
| LAWRENCE, DEBORAH, Saline County.
On April 4, 2011, Lawrence entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one count of Attempt to
Commit Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class A misdemeanor). She received
one year probation, a $1,500 fine, court costs, public defender fee,
and 40 hours community service. On May 28, 2010, a fictitious
insurance card was produced by Lawrence for a 1995 Chevrolet Cavalier,
purporting to show proof of insurance with Granite State Insurance
Company. Said insurance card was to be used for the registration of
said vehicle with the Arkansas Department of Motor Vehicles. |
| ABRAHAM, NICOLE,
Pulaski County.
On March 29, 2011, Abraham entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one count of
Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class D felony). She received two years
probation, a $500 fine, court costs, 20 hours community service, and
was sentenced pursuant to Act 531. On September 11, 2010, Abraham
received a traffic citation for no insurance, and was given a court
date of October 13, 2010, to present her case. When Abraham appeared in
district court for her citation, she provided the court with a
fictitious insurance card that she had produced herself at an earlier
date. The court determined the card was invalid and called our
investigators to the scene. |
| MCCUIEN, STEPHANIE,
Pulaski County.
On March 24, 2011, McCuien entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one count of
Insurance Fraud (Class D felony). She was sentenced to two years
probation, payment of a $1,000 fine and court costs, and 30 hours
community service. Sentencing was pursuant to Act 531. McCuien was
accused of producing a fictitious insurance card on October 21, 2008,
and distributing the same to others for use as a template. |
| DAVIS, PORCHIA,
Pulaski County.
On March 17, 2011, Davis entered a negotiated plea of guilty to Attempt to Commit
Insurance Fraud (Class A misdemeanor). She received one year probation,
a $250 fine, court costs, and was sentenced pursuant to Act 531. On
July 1, 2010, Davis purchased a fictitious insurance card from Tashanna
Davis at the Arkansas Department of Human Services for the amount of
$50. Davis then used the card to register her vehicle with the
Department of Motor Vehicles. |
| EAGLE, BENJAMIN, Pulaski County. Click here to view news release. |
| FURR, JAMES, Crittenden County.
On February 28, 2011, Furr entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one count of
Insurance Fraud (Class D felony). Furr was sentenced to 36 months
probation and payment of a $2,000 fine. Furr filed an accident claim
for preexisting damage to a motorcycle he did not own from an accident
that never happened. |
| WILLIAMS, MARY, Craighead
County.
On February 7, 2011, Williams was adjudicated guilty on mail fraud. She
was committed to prison for a term of 29 months. Upon release from
imprisonment, she will be on supervised release for a term of three
years. She was ordered to pay $1,379,415.97 in restitution. Williams
was the owner of Green County Abstract in Paragould. After she closed
on real estate transactions, she kept the title premiums and loan
proceeds. |
| WILLIAMS, TAMARO, Pulaski
County.
On February 1, 2011, Lewis entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one
count of Insurance Fraud (Class D felony). Ms. Williams was
sentenced pursuant to Act 346 to two years probation, a $1,000 fine,
$100 public defender fee, court costs, and 20 hours of community
service to be completed within six months. Ms. Williams had an
automobile policy on a 2004 Nissan Armada, which was canceled on
4/26/2010 due to non-payment of the premium. A member of her household
and a driver listed on the canceled policy was operating the vehicle on
5/1/2010 when he was involved in a one-car accident. The Arkansas State
Police reported the time of the accident as 7:45 p.m. Ms.
Williams attempted to re-instate her insurance policy over the Internet
to cover the 5/1/2010 accident. She electronically signed a "no-loss"
statement on May 1, 2010 at 9:13 p.m., verifying that there had been no
damage to her vehicle during the time period between 10:01 a.m. on
April 26, 2010, until the time she signed said "no-loss" statement on
May 1, 2010, at 9:13 p.m. |
| LEWIS,
RICKEY, Pulaski
County.
On January 19, 2011, Lewis entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one
count of Attempted Insurance Fraud (Class A misdemeanor). Lewis was
sentenced to one year probation, $250 fine, and 20 hours community
service. He was given one day jail credit and sentenced pursuant to Act
531. Lewis was accused of presenting a forged insurance card in an
attempt to get his car out of impound. |
| TUCK,
SHANNON, Crawford
County.
On December 3, 2010, Tuck entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one
count of Insurance Fraud (Class D felony). Tuck was sentenced to three
years suspended sentence, payment of a $1,500 fine, court costs of
$170, a $250 DNA fee, and 30 days community service. Tuck was accused
of providing false information on a homeowners insurance application. |
| LEWIS,
JEROME, Crittenden
County.
On November 23, 2010, Lewis entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one
count of violating A.C.A. § 23-66-502, Fraudulent Insurance Acts
(Class D felony). Lewis was sentenced to 120 months probation, and
payment of a $500 fine. He was given credit for 121 days served in
jail. Lewis was accused of pursuing an insurance claim for damages on a
motorcycle he did not own, from an accident that never happened, and
for pre-existing damage to the vehicle. |
| LAW,
KATHY AND JONES, DWIGHT, Baxter County.
On November 18, 2010, Law and Jones each entered a negotiated plea of
guilty to one
count of attempt to commit insurance fraud (Class A misdemeanor). Each
was sentenced to one year probation, payment of a $100 fine, and
court costs of $220. Kathy Law and Dwight Jones were accused of filing
a personal injury claim based on a false report to the insurance
company as to how the injury occurred. |
| SNOW,
ROBERT,
Lonoke County.
On October 18, 2010, Snow entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one
count of Criminal Attempt of Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class A
misdemeanor). Snow was
sentenced to one year probation,
payment of a $250 fine, $150 court costs, and payment of $5,688
restitution. Snow paid $4,500 at the time of the plea, with his
remaining balance to be paid at the rate of $198 per month. Snow was
accused of selling an unlicensed insurance product and canceling the
policies when he began to receive claims. |
| KEDDY, SHANE, Pulaski County.
On October 4, 2010, Keddy entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one
count of Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class D felony). Keddy was
sentenced to three years probation,
payment of a $1000 fine, and credit for ten days time served in
the Pulaski County jail. He was sentenced as a first offender pursuant
to Act 346. Keddy was accused of possessing a forged insurance card,
which he presented to Phillips Wrecker Service to get his car out of
impound. |
| HAGLER, JOE, Boone County.
On September 20, 2010, Hagler entered a negotiated plea of guilty to
one
count of Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class D felony). Hagler was
sentenced to three years probation, 20 hours of community service,
payment of $9,444 restitution and a $250 fine. Hagler, accused of submitting false prescription claims to
Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield in order to generate unearned payments, was sentenced as a first offender
pursuant to Act 346 of 1973. |
| PICKARD, JAMES N., Pulaski County.
On July 16, 2010, Pickard entered a negotiated plea of "No Contest" to
one
count of Theft of Property in excess of $2,500 (Class B felony).
Pickard was sentenced
to five years probation, payment of a $500 fine, and 30 hours Community
Service. Prior to the entry of the plea, Pickard made restitution to
the victims totaling $8,860. Pickard was accused of receiving premium
payments from consumers and not forwarding the premiums to the
insurance carriers. |
| TILLEY, CHRISTOPHER, Craighead County.
On May 24, 2010, Tilley entered a negotiated plea of guilty to two
counts of Theft of Property (Class A misdemeanor). Tilley was sentenced
to pay a $1,000 fine and a suspended sentence of 365 days in county
jail. Tilley paid restitution of $9,982 prior to the plea. Tilley
admitted to forging documents and making changes to annuities without
the permission of his clients in order to generate fees for himself. |
| SHORT, HOWARD, Faulkner County.
On April 19, 2010, Short entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one
count of
Theft of Property (Class B
felony). Short was sentenced to 60 months probation conditioned
upon payment of $7,030 restitution and a $500 fine. Short was accused
of submitting bogus medical bills to his insurance carrier in order to
obtain benefits to which he was not entitled. |
| WARREN,
RICKY,
Pulaski County.
On April 19, 2010, Warren entered a negotiated plea of guilty to two
counts of
Theft of Property (Class C
felony) and one count of Workers' Compensation Fraud (Class D felony).
Warren was sentenced to three years probation, 30 hours community
service, a $1,000 fine, and payment of $2,125 restitution within one
year. Sentencing was pursuant to Act 531. Warren was accused of
receiving payment for premiums on workers' compensation and general
liability policies and not forwarding the payments to the insurance
carrier. |
| DEARIEN,
CINDY,
Stone County.
On April 14, 2010, Dearien plead guilty to Theft of Property (Class B
felony). Dearien received 15 years probation, a $2,500 fine, court
costs of $400, and must pay $106,803.55 in restitution. Dearien
was an insurance agent and the office manager at Dearien Insurance Co.,
located in Mountain View, Arkansas. As part of her job functions,
Dearien was responsible for accepting premium monies from customers and
depositing the same. An audit of the office financials showed falsified
documents and misappropriated premium funds. |
| MCMILLAN, HEATHER, Little River County.
On February 9, 2010, McMillan entered a negotiated plea of guilty to
one count of fraudulent insurance acts (Class D felony). McMillan was
sentenced to three years probation, conditioned on payment of $2,874.70
restitution and a $500 fine. McMillan worked for a dentist and was
suspected of submitting false claims on her dental insurance on behalf
of herself and her husband. |
| PAGE, OSSIE, Desha County.
On November 9, 2009, Page entered a negotiated plea of guilty to
one count of workers' compensation fraud. Page was sentenced to 72
months probation and payment of $150 court costs, $20 booking fee and
$250 DNA fee. Page was accused of receiving workers' compensation
benefit payments intended for an incapacitated person that she had
previously had custody and guardianship for, and filing false
statements
indicating that she still had custody of the individual. |
| HICKEY, SUSAN, Pulaski County.
On October 12, 2009, Hickey entered a negotiated plea of guilty to
one count of theft by deception of more than $2,500 (Class B felony).
Hickey was sentenced to five years supervised probation conditioned
upon payment of restitution of $17,801.95 to AFLAC Insurance at the
rate of $250 per month, payment of a $250 fine, and 30 hours of
community service. She was sentenced as a first offender pursuant to
Act 531. Hickey was an agent for AFLAC Insurance who submitted false
applications and payroll acknowledgment forms to generate unearned
advance commissions in the amount of $17,801.95. |
| ARMSTRONG,
NATHANIAL, Mississippi
County.
On October 1, 2009, Armstrong entered a negotiated plea of guilty to
one count of fraudulent insurance acts (Class D felony). Armstrong was
sentenced to 36 months probation and payment of a $250 fine, $170 court
costs, $250 DNA fee, and $250 public defender's fee. Armstrong
presented false documentation to Citizens Security Life Insurance
Company related to the death of their insured, Ernest White. The
insurer became aware of the bogus nature of the documents before paying
the claim, and made sure the proceeds went to Mr. White's rightful
heirs. |
| MCCARGO, KATIE, Mississippi County.
On September 25, 2009, McCargo entered a negotiated plea of guilty to
one count of fraudulent insurance acts. McCargo was sentenced to two
years probation, $250 fine, $170 court costs, and a $250 DNA fee.
McCargo falsely represented herself as being the sister of an unrelated
individual on his application for life insurance so that she could be
the beneficiary on the policy. |
| LAWSON, BILL
On July 17, 2009, Lawson pled no contest to theft of property. Lawson
was sentenced to one year probation, Act 346, and ordered to pay
$7,632.76 in restitution to Farmers. |
| SHEPPARD,
MATHEW AND MONICA, Cleburne County.
On May 28, 2009, Mathew Sheppard pled guilty to committing a fraudulent
insurance act (Class D felony). Sheppard was sentenced to five years in
the Arkansas Department of Corrections. The sentence will run
concurrent with his 10 year theft conviction in White County. Monica
Sheppard, wife of Mathew, reported that her husband drowned in the
Little Red River trying to save "Fluke" their dog. She then attempted
to collect on Mathew's life insurance. Mathew Sheppard was arrested in
South Dakota while walking Fluke. Monica was sentenced to three years
probation and a $2,500 fine. The plea was negotiated by the Cleburne
County Prosecutor. Our investigator did an excellent job of putting the
case file together, and that was no Fluke! |
| CATO,
WILLIAM STACY, AND DELENA. On February
10, 2009, William Stacy Cato and Delena Cato entered negotiated pleas
of guilty in Saline County Circuit Court. William Stacy Cato pled
guilty to one count of theft by deception of an amount in excess of
$500 (Class C felony). Delena Cato pled guilty to one count of
fraudulent insurance acts (Class D felony). They were each sentenced to
two years probation, payment of a $500 fine, 50 hours of community
service, and payment of joint restitution of $1,500. William Stacy Cato
was sentenced as a first offender under Act 346. Delena Cato was an
insurance agent for Aflac. She and her husband recruited a pregnant
woman to sign up for an Aflac hospitalization policy with the
understanding that William Stacy Cato would pay the premiums and would
be reimbursed when the baby was born and the policy paid benefits.
|
| KEENE,
CHARLES. On February 9, 2009, Keene
entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one count of workers’
compensation fraud in Saline County Circuit Court. Keene was sentenced
to 60 months probation, payment of a $500 fine, $150 court costs, $250
DNA fee, $20 booking fee, 50 hours community service, and restitution
of $3,894. Keene was accused of failing to report income from a second
job while he was drawing temporary total disability benefits. |
| MOORE,
ORLANDIS. On February 4, 2009, Moore
pled guilty in Pulaski County Circuit Court to committing a fraudulent
insurance act (Class D felony). Moore was placed on three years
probation, ordered to perform 40 hours of community service, pay
probation fees at $35 a month and court costs. Moore was given credit
for the two days he spent in jail. Moore will be entitled to Act 346 if
he successfully completes probation. Moore was a passenger in a car
accident, and claimed to have been out of work for eight weeks because
of the accident. He presented a lost wage claim to Progressive
Insurance for $12,500 for the eight weeks. His tax return showed
a $15,000 income for the year. Progressive did not pay on his claim.
|
| JORDAN,
KEVIN. On February 4, 2009, Jordan
entered a negotiated plea of guilty in Pulaski County Circuit Court to
one count of fraudulent insurance acts (Class D felony). Jordan was
sentenced to two years probation, 50 hours community service, and
payment of a $500 fine. He was sentenced as a first offender pursuant
to Act 531. Jordan was accused of presenting a forged policy
declaration page to a wrecker service as proof of insurance in order to
regain possession of his vehicle. |
| MADKINS,
GREGORY, Jefferson County. On January
5, 2009, Madkins pleaded guilty to attempting to commit insurance
fraud. In a plea negotiated by the Jefferson County Prosecutor he
received 12 months probation, a $500 fine, and court costs. Before he
was allowed to plea, he was required to pay restitution to AIG in the
amount of $2,705.29. Madkins claimed he was hurt on the job and
temporarily disabled. He drew workers’ compensation benefits
while working at another place at the same time. |
| WASHINGTON,
TORRENCE, Pulaski County. On January
5, 2009, Washington pleaded guilty to committing a fraudulent insurance
act (Class D felony). Washington was sentenced to three years
probation, random drug testing, $500 fine, court costs, and given 17
days credit for his time spent in the county jail. Washington was
involved in an automobile accident and submitted a false wage statement
to Nationwide Insurance Company. He claimed to earn $15 hour when in
fact he only earned $7.50 hour. |
| HUBBARD,
BOBBY, Jackson
County. On December 19, 2008, Hubbard entered a negotiated plea to one
count of fraudulent insurance acts (Class D felony), possession of drug
paraphernalia with the intent to manufacture a controlled substance
(Class B felony), and possession of Methamphetamine (Class C felony).
Hubbard was sentenced to 60 months probation, ordered to complete the
Jackson County Drug Court Program, and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine,
$300 court costs, $250 DNA fee, $945 jail fee, $125 drug crime
assessment, $20 booking fee and a $250 public defender fee. Hubbard
filed a claim with Traveler Insurance stating his truck had been
stolen. He later admitted he had driven his truck off the levy and
totaled it. |
| WATSON,
FREDERICK ODELL “RICK,” AND MARK ANTHONY, Pulaski County. On December 8, 2008, after hearing
prosecutor Greg Sink with the Arkansas Insurance Department deliver his
opening argument to an eight-man, four-woman jury before Pulaski County
Circuit Judge Willard Proctor, Jr., Rick Watson pleaded guilty to
first-degree engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise (Class Y
felony), theft by deception (Class B felony), and committing fraudulent
insurance acts (Class D felony). Mark Watson pleaded guilty to similar
charges on December 9, 2008. The Watson cousins accepted a 10-year
prison sentence for running a car crash scam for 12 years, rather than
face the jury and the possibility of a life sentence. Rick Watson
agreed to pay $161,813 in restitution and Mark Watson agreed to pay
$38,892 in restitution once they are released from prison. The
Watson’s staged car crash scam ran from October 1994 through
August 10, 2006. It was uncovered after the October 21, 2005, staged
crash of a car driven by co-conspirator Rebekah Estella Rahn of North
Little Rock. Rahn pleaded guilty in January to a second-degree charge
of engaging in continuing criminal enterprises and two counts each of
theft and fraudulent insurance acts. She was sentenced to four years
probation and ordered to pay $12,132 restitution. Rahn had promised to
testify against the Watsons, as had two of their other co-conspirators,
Christopher Ramon Sullivan and Kevin Dewayne Robinson, who also pleaded
guilty to a charge of fraudulent insurance acts. Sullivan was sentenced
to six years probation and ordered to pay $7,000 in restitution;
Robinson was sentenced to three years probation, a $500 fine, and
ordered to pay $800 in restitution. Investigators reviewed 45 crashes
involving the Watsons between October 1994 and October 2005, finding
proof that all but 12 were part of the scheme. All the collisions
occurred in Pulaski County except for an April 2000 crash in
Jacksonville, Florida. |
| OVERTON,
KAREN, Garland County. On December 2,
2008, Overton entered a plea of guilty to one count fraudulent
insurance act (Class D felony). Overton was sentenced to 36 months
probation and a $500 fine. On December 6, 2007, Overton faxed a
fictitious insurance license, in her name, to Ms. Duggan at Home First
Insurance in Knoxville, TN. Ms. Duggan then faxed a copy of the license
to the Arkansas Insurance Department and was informed that Overton was
not licensed to sell insurance, nor had she ever taken the examination.
|
| BRYANT,
KEITH, Pulaski County. On November
20, 2008, Keith Bryant plead guilty to committing a fraudulent
insurance act. He was sentenced to three years probation, $500 fine, 50
hours of community service, and court costs. As a condition of
probation, he will no longer act as a personal injury consultant.
Bryant was helping a friend, Marcia Montgomery, on her personal injury
claim when he falsified her lost wages by changing the amount from $252
to $1,680. |
| JONES, JAMES, White County.
On October 29, 2008, Jones entered a negotiated plea of guilty to
one count of forgery 1st degree (Class B felony). Jones was sentenced
to 30 days in jail, payment of a $1,000 fine, 80 hours community
service, and 60 months probation conditioned on payment of $11,792.57
restitution. Jones was accused of misappropriating his father's
workers' compensation disability check and forging his signature in
order to negotiate the checks. |
| REXROAT,
JUDY, Hempstead County. On August 19,
2008, Rexroat entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one count of theft
by deception of an amount in excess of $2,500 (Class B felony). Rexroat
was sentenced pursuant to Act 531 to three years probation, payment of
a $1,000 fine, court costs and fees, and payment of the remaining
balance of restitution of $5,000. Rexroat was accused of
misappropriating $15,370 in premium monies from the insurance agency
where she was employed between October 2004 and October 2006. She had
repaid all but the remaining $5,000 prior to her conviction. |
| ALEXANDER,
ELLA, Perry County. On June 2, 2008,
Alexander entered a negotiated plea of guilty to seven counts of theft
of property (Class B felony), three counts of theft of property (Class
C felony), 13 counts of theft of property (Class A misdemeanor), and 22
counts of fraudulent insurance acts (Class D felony). Alexander was
sentenced to ten years probation and ordered to pay $49,000 restitution
and a $1,000 fine. She was given 902 days jail credit to be applied to
the fine. Alexander had filed multiple claims with AFLAC Insurance
based on forged and altered medical documents. |
| LUEBKER,
STEPHANIE, Pulaski County. On May 30,
2008, Luebker was convicted on two counts of conspiracy to commit
arson. She was sentenced to 11 years probation and ordered to pay a
$15,000 fine. Luebker did not actually set her house on fire. She left
that task to Shawn Tull who entered a negotiated plea of guilty to
arson (Class A felony) and was sentenced to 60 months in the Arkansas
Department of Corrections on November 6, 2006. |
| MCCRANNIE, ROSE, Lonoke County.
On May 22, 2008, McCrannie entered a negotiated plea of guilty to
one count of theft of property by deception (Class B felony). McCrannie
was sentenced to 240 months probation and ordered to pay $12,133.90 in
restitution. McCrannie had submitted false mileage reimbursement claims
to her employer, Dillards Department Stores, in connection with her
workers' compensation claim. |
| JAMES,
JANET, Logan County. On May 19, 2008,
James entered a negotiated plea of guilty to theft by deception of an
amount in excess of $2,500 (Class B felony). She was sentenced to 89
months probation and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine and $7,933
restitution to AFLAC Insurance. James was an agent for AFLAC and
submitted insurance applications for non-existent businesses and
employees in order to generate unearned commissions for herself.
|
| BRECKENRIDGE,
DON “MARK,” Pulaski
County. On May 12, 2008, Breckenridge pleaded guilty to a
fraudulent insurance act (Class D felony). Breckenridge was sentenced
to three years probation under Act 346 and a $1,000 fine. He paid
restitution of $58,795.95 to Cincinnati Insurance Company and $1,500 to
the Arkansas Insurance Department for the cost of the
investigation. Breckenridge reported his Mercedes stolen when, in
fact, he had buried the car to collect the insurance proceeds. |
| WHITE,
CAROL, Washington County. On April 9,
2008, White pleaded guilty to theft of property and attempted theft of
property. White was sentenced to 72 months, with 48 suspended. In
October 2005, White claimed David Cradduck’s vehicle struck her
truck. Farmers Insurance, Cradduck’s insurer, paid White
for the damage to her truck. No one claimed any personal
injury. In February 2006, White made a claim with State Farm
under her uninsured motorist coverage. White made representations
that she could not locate Cradduck and that she did not receive any
money for the damage to the truck or for her personal injuries.
White submitted chiropractor bills and State Farm paid $30,000.
On August 15, 2006, White claimed to have hit an abandoned
vehicle. She once again submitted chiropractor bills. This
time the adjuster requested medical records. When White could not
produce the records, the adjuster discovered the chiropractor did not
exist. |
| WHITE,
TRACY EUGENE, Garland County. On
February 25, 2008, insurance agent Tracy Eugene White pleaded guilty to
theft of property (Class A misdemeanor). White was placed on one
year probation and ordered to pay court costs. White failed to
remit premium money from his client to an insurer. When
questioned by the CID investigator, White refunded the money to his
client. |
| BIZELL,
LATRACY, Pulaski County. On October
29, 2007, Bizell entered a plea of guilty to one count of attempted
insurance fraud (Class A misdemeanor). Bizell was sentenced to
one year probation and payment of a $500 fine. Bizell was unable
to purchase insurance in her own name because her drivers license was
suspended. She licensed a car and purchased insurance under a
friend’s name and then had an accident. Bizell paid
restitution in the amount of $1,330.01 to Progressive Insurance.
|
| RILEY,
JAMES, Pulaski County. On October 11,
2007, Riley entered a plea of guilty to one count of insurance fraud
(Class D felony). Riley was sentenced to two years probation, 50
hours of community service, ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, $250 DNA fee,
and court costs. Riley claimed an illness from eating crab legs
at a Red Lobster. He represented to Liberty Mutual Insurance Company
that he owned a production company and lost $34,000 as a result of his
illness because he had to cancel contracts, and he knowingly submitted
false contracts to prove the loss of money. |
| ROBINSON,
IDA, Crittenden County. On September
17, 2007, Robinson entered a plea of guilty to one count of insurance
fraud. Robinson was sentenced to two years probation and ordered
to pay a $250 fine and court costs. In August 2005, Robinson
reported to the manager of the Food Giant grocery store in Marion that
she had cut her toe on a loose wire on a magazine rack and demanded
compensation. She was told she needed to bring in medical
documentation reflecting the cost of medical treatment.
Periodically she would return to the store and request
compensation. Each time was told she needed to bring in medical
treatment documentation. In December 2005, she brought in a
medical invoice with a treatment date of December 29, 2005. There was
no record of her receiving any kind of treatment at any hospital in
August 2005. |
| MIDDLETON,
JOHN PHILLIP, Sebastian County.
Click here to view News Release. |
| CRABTREE,
JENNIFER, Independence County. On
August 14, 2007, Crabtree pleaded guilty to one count of theft (Class B
felony). Crabtree was placed on probation for five years and
ordered to pay $13,448 restitution, $1,000 fine and $250 DNA fee.
Crabtree converted premium checks for her own use. |
| PICKARD,
JAMES, Pulaski County. On July 18,
2007, Pickard pleaded guilty to theft of property (Class A
misdemeanor). Pickard was sentenced to one year probation and
ordered to pay a $300 fine plus court costs. Pickard did not
forward a premium check to Hartford Insurance for more than a year.
|
| GOWAN,
BEVERLY, White County. On June 18,
2007, Beverly Gowan (male) pleaded guilty to two counts of Attempt to
Commit Insurance Fraud (Class A misdemeanor) and one count of Theft of
Property (Class C felony). Gowan was sentenced to 18 months in a
Department of Community Correction Center plus 18 months suspended
sentence, for a total of 36 months, and ordered to pay $3,600
restitution. Former insurance agent Gowan is a repeat offender,
having previously been convicted of insurance fraud in 1999 when he
sold insurance to his sister and did not forward the premiums to the
insurance company. Her house burned and upon filing a claim, the
sister discovered she was not covered. Gowan pleaded guilty in
that instance and lost his license. The most recent charges
against Gowan stem from an incident occurring in October, 2000. Johnny
and Ruthie Foster purchased vehicle insurance from Dairyland Insurance
at $208 per quarter and Gowan provided them with proof of insurance
cards. Following an automobile accident in 2005, Johnny Foster
filed a claim with Dairyland only to discover the company had never
heard of him. |
| MARTIN,
ELESHA, Pulaski County. On May 4,
2007, Martin pleaded guilty to three counts of arson and one count of
insurance fraud. On June 22, 2007, Martin was sentenced to 20
years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections (with seven years
suspended conditioned upon her paying $514,928 in restitution) and a
$250 DNA fee. As part of an elaborate scheme, Martin would take
out renters insurance on a house and eventually set fire to the
property in order to file a claim with her insurance company.
Defrauded in the scheme were Farmers Insurance which paid a claim for
$130,802, Encompass Insurance which paid a claim for $219, 783, and
Nationwide Insurance which paid a claim for $164,342. One of the
key leads in the investigation was Martin’s listing the same
$10,000 designer wedding dress on the content loss inventory she
supplied for two different houses. |
| VOCQUE,
CHRISTY, Saline County. On May 3,
2007, Vocque entered a voluntary plea of guilty to one count of Theft
of Property in excess of $2,500 (Class B felony), 13 counts of Theft of
Property in an amount less than $2,500 but greater than $500 (Class C
felony), and 6 counts of Theft of Property in an amount less than $500
(Class A misdemeanor). On June 18, 2007, Vocque was sentenced to
60 days in a Department of Community Correction Center, 20 years
probation on the Class B felony, and 10 years probation on each of the
Class C felonies, which is to run concurrently with the 20 years
probation. The first five years of probation are to be
supervised. In addition, Vocque was fined $1,000 and ordered to
pay court costs of $150 and DNA fees. Vocque diverted client
funds including premium payments for her personal use. As a
special condition of probation, Vocque is prohibited from handling
other people’s money or being in charge of other people’s
money. This prohibition includes employment situations as well as
charitable and recreational activities such as church or school
functions. As a result of negotiations with the Arkansas
Insurance Department, Vocque has made full restitution to her clients.
|
| JORDAN,
GUY (TREY), Garland County. On April
2, 2007, Jordan pleaded guilty to one count of Attempt to Commit
Insurance Fraud (Class A misdemeanor). Jordan was sentenced to 12
months suspended sentence and ordered to pay a $500 fine. Jordan
reported to the Garland County Sheriff’s Office on December 2,
2005, that some unknown person(s) stole his sailboat and that his wife,
who he was in the process of divorcing, may have done it. In
February 2006, Jordan filed a claim with Shelter Insurance stating the
boat was stolen in January 2006. Jordan told the insurance company that
2 or 3 men were seen around the boat, never mentioning that his
estranged wife had moved the boat. His ex-wife reported the boat
was not stolen, and that Jordan knew she had moved it to another Marina. |
| SHUTTS,
DEBORAH, Pulaski County. On February
13, 2007, Shutts pleaded guilty to one count of Attempt to Commit
Insurance Fraud (Class A misdemeanor). Shutts was ordered to pay
a $1,000 fine, $150.00 court costs, and a $50.00 sheriff fee.
Shutts provided Ohio Casualty Insurance Company false information by
stating she was injured in her vehicle at the time of an accident when
she was not in the vehicle and did not sustain any injuries. |
| JOHNSON,
COREY, Jefferson County. On January
17, 2007, Johnson entered a negotiated plea of guilty to a Class D
felony count of Fraudulent Insurance Acts. Johnson was sentenced
to 36 months probation, 120 hours community service, $750.00 court
costs, $250 attorney fee, $50.00 sheriff fee, $250 DNA fee and a $25
probation fee. Johnson had run his car off the road into a wooded
area and lodged a tree stump into the frame of the car. He got
the car back home, called his insurance company, and then found out the
coverage he had would not cover his accident. He asked a series
of questions to determine what kind of coverage he did have and then
hung up. Two days later, he called the insurance company back
stating his car had been parked on the street when it was run into by a
truck driven by an unknown driver and he wished to file a claim, which
would have been covered under his policy. Of course, the
insurance company had records of his earlier call. They put two
and two together, sent an adjuster out to look at the car and found a
stump wedged into the frame of the car, which was inconsistent with
Johnson’s story. The CID investigation was so good, it left
the defendant “stumped” on how he could do anything other
than pleaded guilty. |
| BOLDS,
LINDA, Pulaski County. On January 8,
2007, Bolds entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one count of
Attempted Insurance Fraud (Class A misdemeanor). Bolds was
sentenced to one year probation and payment of a $100.00 fine.
Bolds was suspected of making false statements to her insurance carrier
concerning the circumstances of the alleged theft of her vehicle.
During the investigation, Bolds admitted to State Insurance Department
investigators that on the afternoon her Kia Sorento was recovered from
the Arkansas River, she had not driven it to the movie theater as she
had reported to the police and her insurance carrier, but had traded it
in on another vehicle earlier that day. |
| ROBINSON,
RONALD, Pulaski County. On November
14, 2006, Robinson entered a plea of guilty to Falsifying Business
Records (Class A misdemeanor). Robinson was placed on probation
for one year and ordered to pay a $500.00 fine plus court costs.
Robinson altered a Certificate of Liability document then presented the
document as evidence of his insurance when, in fact, he did not have
insurance. |
| BARNHILL,
CHRIS, Pike County. On November 2,
2007, Barnhill plead guilty to Theft of Property (Class B
felony). Barnhill was sentenced to five years probation, $500.00
fine, DNA Fee of $250.00 and ordered to pay restitution of
$7,507.00 Barnhill submitted fake names to AFLAC in order to
collect commissions. |
| TULL,
SHAWN, Arkansas County. On November
6, 2006, Tull entered a negotiated plea of guilty to Arson (Class A
felony). Tull was sentenced to 60 months in the Arkansas
Department of Corrections and ordered to pay a $250.00 DNA fee and
$150.00 court costs. Tull confessed to working with Stephanie
Luebker in burning her house. |
| DIXON,
CAROLYN, Randolph County. On October
30, 2006, Dixon entered a negotiated plea of guilty to two counts of
Insurance Fraud (Class D felony) and one count of Theft by Deception
(Class A misdemeanor). Dixon was sentenced to 12 months
probation, payment of $2,336.50 restitution, $500.00 fine, $250.00
Public Defender’s fees and $150.00 court costs. Dixon was
an insurance agent and the owner of Dixon Insurance Inc. in Pocahontas,
Arkansas. Dixon was accused of altering declaration pages,
invoices, and other documents provided to clients to falsely reflect
higher charges than were actually charged by the insurance broker,
carriers, and finance companies in order to charge her clients higher
fees. In addition, Dixon was accused of filing an inflated claim
with her insurance carrier for some repairs to her office, and of
knowingly employing a person convicted of a felony involving dishonesty
in her insurance business without the written consent of the Insurance
Commissioner, as required by law. |
| MOORE,
CURTIS, Craighead County. On October
9, 2006, Moore entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one count of
Theft of Property (Class B Felony). Moore was sentenced to 60
months probation, payment of $12,000.00 restitution, $236.00 court
costs, $250 DNA collection fees, and a $25.00 probation fee.
Moore was accused of being a member of a fraud ring operating out of
the Jonesboro area. He filed a disability claim with AFLAC
Insurance and submitted forged medical records in support of his claim
for payment. |
MCDANIEL,
ARIAL, Pulaski County. On September
29, 2006, McDaniel
entered a plea of guilty to Obstructing Governmental Operations (Class
C misdemeanor). McDaniel was sentenced to 10 hours community
service and a $100.00 fine. McDaniel gave a fake insurance card
to a city employee to get her car out of the Impound Lot.
Note: The
Fraudulent Insurance
Act has been amended to make this crime a felony, rather than a
misdemeanor. |
| FLETCHER,
NANCY, Greene County. On August 14,
2006, Fletcher entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one count of
Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class A misdemeanor), in Greene County
Circuit Court. Fletcher was sentenced to 12 months probation, 60
hours of community service, payment of $250.00 fine, $450.00
restitution and $200.00 court costs. Fletcher was accused of
submitting a forged “Attending Physician’s Statement”
in support of her claim for continuing disability payments. |
| TOMLINSON,
BRADLEY, Washington County. On July
11, 2006, Tomlinson entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one count of
Theft of Property in excess of $2,500.00 (Class B felony) and one count
of Theft of Services in excess of $2,500.00 (Class B felony).
Tomlinson was sentenced to 1 day time served, 36 months probation,
payment of $563.10 restitution, $150.00 court costs, and $1,000.00
Washington County restitution. Tomlinson was an agent for Farmers
Insurance who was accused of misappropriating clients’ premium
payments, and of manipulating the computer renewal system to avoid
making payments on his own policies. Records indicated he had
misappropriated premium payments for 21 different clients totaling
$6,940.38, and avoided payments on various other policies totaling
$6,483.22. The balance of the restitution, other than the
$563.10, was paid prior to the court date via recoupments from
Tomlinson’s commissions. In total, Tomlinson paid
$13,423.60 in restitution. |
| SMITH,
JOSHUA, Crittenden County. On June
15, 2006, Smith entered a negotiated plea of guilty on one count of
Theft of Property in excess of $2,500.00 (Class B felony). Smith
was sentenced to 48 months probation, payment of a $750.00 fine,
$200.00 court costs, a $50.00 crime stoppers fee, and a $250.00 DNA
collection fee, and credit for one day time served. Smith had
made restitution of $38,386.25, prior to the date of his plea via
recoupments by his employer, AFLAC Insurance. Smith was an
insurance agent for AFLAC Insurance accused of generating unearned
commissions for himself by creating 56 fictitious applications for
non-existent insureds and adding them to group policies. |
| GIBSON,
CASIPRIN CHARLES, Craighead County.
On April 21, 2006, Gibson entered a negotiated plea of guilty to two
counts of Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class D felony) and two counts of
Theft of Property in Excess of $2,500.00 (Class B felony). Gibson
was sentenced to serve 48 months on each count of the Fraudulent
Insurance Acts and 120 months on each count of Theft of Property in the
Arkansas Department of Corrections. Gibson was ordered to pay
$22,426.00 in restitution in installments of $190.00 monthly, to begin
90 days after his release. Casiprin Gibson was part of an
insurance fraud ring operating out of the Craighead County area.
He filed two false claims with his insurer, AFLAC Insurance, with
forged medical records in support of those claims. |
| HOLT,
LISA, Pulaski County. April 5, 2006,
Holt entered a guilty plea to one misdemeanor count of Theft of
Property and one misdemeanor count of Attempted Fraudulent Insurance
Acts. She was sentenced to one year suspended imposition of
sentence, 40 hours community service, and payment of $300.00 court
costs and $1,000.00 restitution. While employed at Farm Bureau,
Holt fraudulently processed and cashed checks from a Farm Bureau bank
account. Holt signed documents with insured’s names,
putting fictitious addresses on the documents, knowing this would cause
the check to be returned, and then cashed the returned checks by
forging the insured’s name. |
| GIBSON,
BRENTON S., Craighead County. March
20, 2006, Gibson entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one count of
Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class D. felony) and one count of Theft of
Property (Class B felony). He was sentenced to 24 months with 120
months suspended imposition of sentence on the Theft of Property
charge, 60 months suspended imposition of sentence on the Fraudulent
Insurance Acts, and was ordered to pay $250.00 court costs, $250.00
public defenders fees, $250.00 DNA fee and restitution in the amount of
$25,000.00. Gibson’s is the second conviction from a fraud
ring operating
out of the Jonesboro area that
filed multiple claims against AFLAC Insurance based on forged medical
records of injuries that never happened. |
| FEEMSTER,
JOSEPH MICHAEL, Searcy County. March
3, 2006, Feemster pleaded guilty to Attempted Theft (Class A
misdemeanor). He was sentenced to one year suspended imposition
of sentence and payment of a $1,000 fine and $200.00 in fees and
costs. Feemster was a licensed insurance agent for Farm Bureau
who began diverting clients’ premium payments for his own
personal use after recent health problems. |
| CONNELLY,
SHARON, Pulaski County. March 14,
2006, Connelly pleaded guilty to attempted Fraudulent Insurance Acts
(Class A misdemeanor). She was sentenced to a one year suspended
imposition of sentence, 30 hours of community service and payment of a
$500.00 fine plus court costs. Connelly’s boyfriend was
involved in a hit and run accident while driving her car on February 5,
2005. On February 6, 2005, Connelly called the Little Rock Police
Department and reported her car stolen. She claimed her car had
overheated and she left it in a parking lot. Connelly’s
boyfriend, who was not a covered driver under her car insurance policy,
convinced Connelly to file a false police report and insurance claim so
that her car would be repaired. |
| WIDENER,
DAVID, White County. February 8,
2006, Widener pleaded guilty to Falsifying Business Records (Class A
misdemeanor). He was sentenced to one year probation, 20 days of
community service, a $500.00 fine, $150.00 court costs, $300.00
probation fee and $17,197.57 in restitution. Widener failed to
properly account for premium refund money. |
| PATE,
MICHAEL, Saline County. February 7,
2006, Pate entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one count of Theft by
Deception of an amount in excess of $2,500.00 (Class B felony).
He was sentenced to 48 months supervised probation and 18 months
unsupervised probation, payment of a $500.00 fine, $150.00 court costs
and fees, $250.00 DNA fee, and full restitution to the victims in the
amount of $9,258.07. Pate was a licensed insurance agent who
diverted a number of premium payments for his personal use. |
| RODDY,
STACEY, Pulaski County. February 13,
2006, Roddy pleaded guilty to a Fraudulent Insurance Act (Class D
felony). She was sentenced to two years probation, 20 hours of
community service, and payment of a $250.00 fine, $250.00 DNA fee,
$25.00/month probation fee and $700.00 restitution. Roddy was
selling fake insurance cards to customers at Car-Mart. |
| COHEA,
MICHAEL, Bradley
County. January 9, 2006, Cohea entered a negotiated plea of
guilty to one count of Fraudulent Insurance Acts (Class D
felony). He was sentenced to 2 years probation and payment of
$15,000 to the Warren Housing Authority. Cohea submitted a forged
$15,000 bond to the Warren Housing Authority as security for
construction work. He also filed forged bonds with his
construction bids in Conway and Pope County. He entered a
negotiated plea of guilty to Falsifying Business Records (Class A
misdemeanor) in both counties. Cohea was sentenced to 1 year
probation, payment of a $1,000.00 fine and $150.00 court costs on
January 25, 2006, in Conway County; and 1 year probation, payment of a
$1,000.00 fine and $150.00 court costs on January 31, 2006, in Pope
County. |
| MCCLENDON,
TRISHANNA, Saline County. January 5, 2006, McClendon entered a
negotiated plea of guilty to one count of Theft by Deception of more
than $2,500.00 (Class B felony). She was sentenced to 6.5 years
probation, payment of a $200.00 fine, court costs, restitution to State
Farm in the amount of $5,466.87, and restitution to Matthew Reginelli
in the amount of $4,193.26. McClendon was a licensed insurance
agent working for the Reginelli Insurance Agency who altered payment
records to misappropriate premium funds and refunds. |
| EWING,
MELANIE, Saline County. January 5, 2006,
Ewing entered a negotiated plea of guilty to one count of Theft by
Deception of more than $2,500.00 (Class B felony). She was
sentenced to five years probation, payment of a $200.00 fine, court
costs, restitution to State Farm in the amount of $9,871.36, and
restitution to Matthew Reginelli in the amount of $7,650.00.
Ewing was a licensed insurance agent working for the Reginelli
Insurance Agency who altered payment records to misappropriate premium
funds and refunds. |
