Fraud charges filed against 7 Louisiana residents

Seven Louisiana residents are facing criminal charges after an investigation involving both federal and state authorities. The accused, both men and women, are charged with being involved with an insurance fraud scheme. The scheme, officials say, resulted in many millions of dollars of life insurance policies being issued illegally.

Louisiana state and federal authorities say that the fraud happened when one local man who worked as an insurance agent applied falsely for life insurance. As a part of the scheme, the agent sent in applications for life insurance for several people, each with false facts regarding income and net worth. Once these life insurance policies were issued by the insurance company, the agent was paid commission on the sales. These payments totaled several hundred thousand dollars.

It has been asserted that those who were involved in this alleged offense could not pay for the premiums of the policies that were issued. To solve this problem, the agent is accused of using his own funds to make the payments. He allegedly deposited them directly into the accounts of the others accused in these fraud crimes, and they paid the insurance company.

The fraud charges could result in significant penalties for those who have been accused. Like all in our state who face such charges, they are presumed innocent unless a court finds otherwise. In mail and insurance fraud cases, the evidence of the individual defendants’ involvement in the crime must be detailed enough to convince a court of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. This high degree of proof is in place to protect the accused, who may face an uphill battle to fight the charges against them.

Source: Baton Rouge Today, “Seven Charged in Life Insurance Fraud Scheme,” July 30, 2012