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TRENTON
- Attorney General Anne Milgram and Criminal
Justice Director Gregory A. Paw, announced
that a former Maplewood insurance agent
was sentenced today for stealing more than
$53,800 in insurance premium monies.
According
to Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Greta Gooden
Brown, Raymond Pearson, 56, of Indianapolis,
Indiana, was ordered by Superior Court Judge
John Kennedy in Essex County to serve five
years probation and pay full restitution
in the amount of $53,835. Pearson pleaded
guilty on Dec. 17 to a criminal accusation
which charged him with third-degree theft
by failure to make required disposition
of property received.
In
pleading guilty, Pearson, an insurance agent
formerly licensed in New Jersey, admitted
that between Jan. 20, 2005 and Nov. 7, 2006,
he stole $53,835 in insurance premium monies.
Pearson, who worked for Marine Agency Corporation,
a Maplewood-based business that sold insurance,
would receive checks from purchasers of
insurance policies. He was required to remit
the insurance premium money through the
Marine agency to the insurance companies,
including New Hampshire Insurance Company.
Pearson admitted that on 49 occasions, he
failed to turn over insurance premium monies
to his employer and instead used the money
for his own benefit.
Detective
Scott Caponi and Deputy Attorney General
Nicole D. Rizzolo were assigned to the investigation.
Rizzolo represented the Office of Insurance
Fraud Prosecutor at the sentencing.
This
case was referred to OIFP by the Special
Investigative Unit of the New Hampshire
Insurance Company, which initially uncovered
the fraud and assisted OIFP in the investigation.
Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Brown thanks
New Hampshire Insurance for their involvement
in this matter as well as the Department
of Banking and Insurance, which routinely
assists OIFP with investigations and prosecutions
of licensed insurance agents.
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