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| Home > Insurance Division > Enforcement Activity |
| 2019 Division of Insurance Enforcement Activity |
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| Please Note: P.L. 2013, c. 259 became effective on July 1, 2014. This law amended the Administrative Procedure Act, R.S. 52:14B-1 et seq. One of the amendments requires all state agencies to post on their websites all non-confidential final agency orders, decisions and opinions. Accordingly, all such final agency orders or decisions in disciplinary actions issued subsequent to July 1, 2014 may be accessed by clicking on the link within the summaries below. Orders or decisions issued on such matters prior to July 1, 2014 are available upon request to the Division of Insurance. |
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| December |
Final Order
Dean I. Orloff, West Berlin, NJ
Order #E19-113, December 23, 2019
The denial of respondent’s application for a producer license is upheld based on his permanent disbarment from the practice of law due to, among other things, knowing misappropriation and comingling of funds and conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.
Orders to Show Cause
Glen Cardace, Brick, NJ
Order #E19-110, December 16, 2019
Respondent is charged with impersonating his wife and applying for life insurance in her name without her knowledge or consent.
Robert Lapinski, Little Ferry, NJ
Robert Carter, Freehold, NJ
Jeffrey Nesmith, Meriden, CT
Steven Krauss, Covington Township, PA
Cutting Edge Bail Bonds, LLC, Little Ferry, NJ
Dollar Bail Bonds, Inc., Little Ferry, NJ
Order #E19-112, December 23, 2019
Respondents are charged with misrepresentation of the terms of an insurance agreement, forgery and failing to satisfy a judgment for wrongfully attempting to collect premiums and costs relating to a bail bond.
Consent Orders
Gary J. Basralian, Springfield, NJ
Order #E19-111, December 16, 2019
Respondent was convicted of wire fraud and investment advisor fraud and failed to report the criminal charges, the conviction, FINRA sanctions and New Jersey Bureau of Security sanctions to the Department.
Sanction: Revocation
Ionm Medical Management Services of NY, LLC, Garden City, NY
Order #E19-108, December 4, 2019
Respondent operated as a third party billing service prior to being certified by the Commissioner as a third party billing service.
Sanction: Fine - $32,900
Lucent Health Solutions, LLC, Nashville, TN
Order #E19-109, December 16, 2019
Respondents operated as a third party administrator prior to being licensed or registered by the Commissioner as a third party administrator.
Sanction: Fine - $21,125 |
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| November |
Consent Orders
Avelino C. Andrade, Plymouth, MA
Order #E19-107, November 29, 2019
Respondent misappropriated and failed to remit premium, issued checks for payment of premium that were dishonored, failed to maintain a trust account and failed to maintain copies of receipts for insurance premium payments.
Sanction: Suspension of license from April 4, 2019 to November 29, 2019, Fine - $26,000, Costs - $400
Dominion National Insurance Company, Arlington, VA
Order #E19-106, November 29, 2019
Respondent issued contracts with network and out-of-network dental and/or vision benefits prior to receiving Department approval of a selective contracting arrangement.
Sanction: Fine - $119,700
Thomas Murphy, Oak Ridge, NJ
DGS Benefits, Inc., Ridgewood, NJ
Order #E19-105, November 6, 2019
Respondents charged an improper service fee.
Sanction: Fine - $2,500 |
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| October |
Final Order
Vincent A. Thomas, Jackson, NJ and West Palm Beach, FL
Pristine Adjusters Inc., Jackson, NJ
Order #E19-100, October 30, 2019
Respondents failed to respond to an Order to Show Cause charging them with failing to remit insurance claim proceeds, issuing settlement checks to consumers that were dishonored, failing to maintain an escrow or trust account, using public adjuster contracts that did not contain required information and failing to respond to Department inquiries.
Sanction: Revocation, Fine - $42,500, Restitution - $74,667.37 and Costs - $225
Order Amending Final Decision and Order No. E18-63
Catarina Young, Metuchen, NJ
Elite Benefits Corp., Metuchen
Order #E19-102, October 31, 2019
Respondents improperly enrolled family members in a multiple employer trust fund to obtain health coverage and misappropriated $462,341.78 from the fund. Respondents were sanctioned in Order #E18-63 with, among other things, a fine of $265,000 for Producer Act violations. The Appellate Division ruled that 41 of the 102 misappropriations were barred by the statute of limitations and remanded the matter to the Commissioner to vacate $102,500 in penalties.
Sanction: Revocation, Producer Act Fine - $162,500, Fraud Act Fine - $10,000, Attorneys’ Fees - $22,864.50, Fraud Act Surcharge - $2,000
Orders to Show Cause
Global Claims Administration, LLC, Cincinnati, OH
Order #E19-96, October 14, 2019
Respondent, a third party administrator, is charged with failing to submit its 2018 audited financial statement.
Robert Thomas Tuffy, Point Pleasant, NJ
Order #E19-98, October 14, 2019
Respondent is charged with executing trades for a customer without the customer’s authorization and with failing to report a FINRA disciplinary action.
Consent Orders
Joel M. Kopke, Plymouth, MA
Order #E19-99, October 30, 2019
Respondent misrepresented the medical conditions of applicants on applications for Medicare Supplement, Long Term Care and Life insurance and witnessed signatures on applications he knew to be false.
Sanction: Revocation, Fine - $12,500 for Producer Act violations and $12,500 for Fraud Act violations, Fraud Act surcharge - $625 and Attorneys’ Fees - $1,000
Suzanne Miscik, Montclair, NJ
Order #E19-95, October 14, 2019
Respondent falsely included a no loss statement on a reinstatement application for her automobile insurance policy and incorrectly stated the time of an automobile accident to her carrier.
Sanction: Revocation, Fine - $2,500 for Producer Act violations and $2,500 for Fraud Act violations, Fraud Act surcharge - $125 and Attorneys’ Fees - $875
R & C Medical Billing, LLC, South Plainfield, NJ
Order #E19-101, October 30, 2019
Respondent transacted business as a third party billing service prior to being certified by the Commissioner as a third party billing service.
Sanction: Fine - $2,500
Gary Schenk, Mount Laurel, NJ
Order #E19-97, October 14, 2019
Respondent forged a policyholder’s name to a policy loan application, submitted the policy loan application without the policyholder’s knowledge or consent, and failed to report action taken against him by FINRA.
Sanction: Revocation |
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| September |
Final Orders
Stanley Jerome, Orange, NJ
Order #E19-91, September 17, 2019
Respondent failed to respond to an Order to Show Cause charging him offering free life insurance and cash to individuals in exchange for their personal identifying information, with using that information to apply for insurance on behalf of said individuals, with including false and fabricated information in the applications and with being convicted of financial facilitation of criminal activity and insurance fraud.
Sanction: Revocation, Fine - $695,400 ($347,700 for Producer Act violations and $347,700 for Fraud Act violations), Restitution - $750,000, Costs - $487.50, Attorneys’ Fees - $8,562.50 and Fraud Act surcharge - $1,000
Anne Marie O’Neill, Gilbertsville, PA
Senior Seminar Services, Inc., Gilbertsville, PA
Order #E19-87, September 5, 2019
Respondents permitted Senior Seminar Services, Inc. to sell, solicit and negotiate insurance while unlicensed, permitted an unlicensed employee to conduct the business of insurance, operate an unlicensed branch office, wrote checks for their personal benefit from a client’s checking account and harassed a client to gain control of his assets. Respondent O’Neill used a professional designation after it had been revoked, induced a client to terminate two annuities by making misrepresentations, made false statements on annuity applications, failed to make reasonable effort to determine whether annuities were suitable for a client, made misleading statements to encourage a client to surrender an annuity and attempted to pay her attorney with client funds.
Sanction: Revocation, Fine - $166,000 ($156,000 for Producer Act violations and $10,000 for Fraud Act violations), Restitution - $29,867.22, Costs - $12,163.64 and Fraud Act surcharge - $1,000
Order to Show Cause
Gerard Raimondi, Toms River, NJ
Order #E19-89, September 9, 2019
Respondent is charged with submitting 237 bogus applications for health insurance that contained fabricated social security numbers and false contact information and with forging applicant signatures on 237 applications and related documents.
Consent Orders
Insurance Office of America Inc, Longwood, FL
Order #E19-92, September 17, 2019
Respondent bound surplus lines policies prior to becoming licensed to sell surplus lines insurance and charged service fees without entering a separate written fee agreement.
Sanction: Fine - $15,000
Lockton Affinity, LLC, Overland Park, KS
Order #E19-86, September 5, 2019
Respondent knowingly facilitated or assisted an unlicensed entity, the National Rifle Association, in soliciting insurance; offered insurance issued by a surplus lines insurer that included health insurance and charged administrative fees without executing a separate fee agreement.
Sanction: Fine - $1,000,000
Sherrica Octavia McDonald, Neptune, NJ
Octavia Global Investment, LLC, Neptune, NJ
Order #E19-88, September 9, 2019
Respondent failed to remit premiums, failed to establish and maintain a trust account, failed to return unused powers of attorney, failed to maintain accurate books and records, issued a check that was returned for non-sufficient funds and failed to make contributions to a build up fund.
Sanction: Revocation, Fine - $5,000
Joseph Vulpis, Monroe Township, NJ
Diversified Public Adjusters LLC, Monroe Township, NJ
Order #E19-85, September 3, 2019
Respondents were responsible for signing the name of a mortgage company on a claim settlement check and depositing the check into the account of a construction company associated with a sublicensee of the public adjuster.
Sanction: Fine - $2,500
Wesco Insurance Company, New York, NY
ARI Insurance Company, Newtown, PA
AmTrust Insurance Company of Kansas, Inc., Dallas, TX
Technology Insurance Company, Inc., New York, NY
Order #E19-93, September 23, 2019
Respondents block nonrenewed business prior to submitting and obtaining the Commissioner’s non-disapproval of a block nonrenewal plan.
Sanction: Fine - $276,212.50 |
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| August |
Final Order
Hany Shehata, West Orange, NJ
Order #E19-80, August 25, 2019
Respondent failed to respond to an Order to Show Cause charging him with failing to advise an insured that his policy had been cancelled, failing to timely return the refunded premium to the insured and failing to maintain a trust account.
Sanction: Revocation, Fine - $25,000, Costs - $487.50
Orders to Show Cause
Frank J. Boyle, Sewell, NJ
F. Boyle Adjustment Service, LLC, Whiting, NJ
Order #E19-79, August 25, 2019
Respondents are charged with using a public adjuster contract that did not contain required terms and conditions, failing to timely notify the Department of the opening or closing of an office, and failing to timely notify the Department of a change in home and business addresses.
Dekpah J. Gueh, Trenton, NJ
Order #E19-77, August 25, 2019
Respondent is charged with knowingly submitting fraudulent insurance applications with false addresses and false social security numbers, with forging the applicants’ signatures on the applications, and with failing to notify the Commissioner of his indictment for second degree Insurance Fraud and third degree Theft by Deception.
Ruben Perez, III, Miami Beach, FL
R. P. Adjustment Group, LLC, Miami Beach, FL
Order #E19-83, August 25, 2019
Respondents are charged with acting as public adjusters while their licenses were expired, depositing a settlement check without obtaining the signatures of the insureds and the mortgage company on the check, disbursing the settlement proceeds without the approval or authorization of the insureds, creating a false Power of Attorney form and forging the insureds’ signatures thereon and with using a public adjuster contract that did not contain required terms and conditions.
Ralph A. Valente, West Caldwell, NJ
Corporate Benefit Solutions, LLC, West Caldwell, NJ
Order #E19-84, August 25, 2019
Respondents are charging with paying money to persons covered by a group health benefits plan as compensation for disputes with the health insurer, such payments constituting inducements or consideration not specified in the insurance contract.
Consent Orders
Anesthesia Management Services, LLC, Mount Kisco, NY
Order #E19-82, August 25, 2019
Respondent operated as a third party billing service prior to being certified by the Commissioner as a third party billing service.
Sanction: Fine - $2,500
AXIS Insurance Company, Alpharetta, GA
Order #E19-81, August 25, 2019
Respondent issued 4,434 noncompliant individual health benefits plans in New Jersey from June 1, 2016 to March 22, 2019.
Sanction: Fine - $830,500, Restitution - $1.2 million
National Medical Billing Services, LLC, Chesterfield, MO
Order #E19-78, August 25, 2019
Respondent operated as a third party billing service prior to being certified by the Commissioner as a third party billing service.
Sanction: Fine - $2,500 |
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| July |
Orders to Show Cause
Giovanni R. Jean-Baptiste, Donora, PA
Premier Choice Health, LLC, Donora, PA
Order #E19-73, July 29, 2019
Respondents are charged with misrepresenting that the health plans they were selling were qualified health plans that complied with the Affordable Care Act, with misrepresenting that purchase of the plans required membership in an association and payment of membership fees, and with failing to respond to the Department’s request for information.
Gary Schenk, Mount Laurel, NJ
Order #E19-72, July 29, 2019
Respondent is charged with forging a policyholder’s name to a policy loan application, with submitting the policy loan application without the policyholder’s knowledge or consent, and with failing to report action taken against him by FINRA.
Consent Order
Genworth Life Insurance Company, Richmond, VA
Order #E19-74, July 29, 2019
Respondent failed to include the requested rate increase amount in letters to policyholders advising of the approved rate increase amount.
Sanction: Fine - $10,000 |
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| June |
Final Orders
Bryan Davis, Murrysville, PA and Monroeville, PA
Order #E19-65, June 24, 2019
Respondent sold insurance to a New Jersey resident without being licensed as an insurance producer in this state.
Sanction: Fine - $15,000, Costs - $687.50
Michael J. DeMaio, Jr., Oceanport, NJ
Order #E19-53, June 10, 2019
Respondent’s application for written consent to engage in the business of insurance pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1033 and 1034 is denied.
Order Denying Motion to Vacate
Kirti Shah, Parsippany, NJ
Order #E19-51, June 3, 2019
Respondent’s motion to vacate Order #E19-31 which suspended his insurance license pending the completion of administrative proceedings is denied.
Orders to Show Cause
Stanley Jerome, Orange, NJ and New York, NY
Order #E19-54, June 10, 2019
Respondent is charged with offering free life insurance and cash to individuals in exchange for their personal identifying information, with using that information to apply for insurance on behalf of said individuals, with including false and fabricated information in the applications and with being convicted of financial facilitation of criminal activity and insurance fraud.
Lawrence F. Levinn, Long Beach, NY
Maxx Coverage Corp., Long Beach, NY
Order #E19-55, June 10, 2019
Respondents are charged with failing to timely remit premium, issuing a check for premium to an insurance company that was returned due to insufficient funds and improperly charging a service fee.
Henry R. Slay, Warminster, PA
Order #E19-66, June 24, 2019
Respondent is charged with submitting fraudulent applications for insurance, misrepresenting to applicants that they were completing surveys when they were in fact filling out insurance applications, and failing to respond to Department inquiries.
Brian Lee Verling, Sicklerville, NJ
Order #E19-64, June 10, 2019
Respondent is charged with submitting a fraudulent invoice to an insurance company in support of a claim and with using a public adjuster contract that did not contain required terms and conditions.
Michael Vetere, Florham Park, NJ
Order #E19-62, June 7, 2019
Respondent is charged with submitting two fraudulent claims for lost jewelry.
Consent Orders
Deborah A. Aichele, Pompano Beach, FL
Order #E19-70, June 25, 2019
Respondent failed to supervise an employee who created and submitted a certificate that showed a coverage limit in excess of the actual coverage limit.
Sanction: Fine - $2,500
Dennis F. Bellezza, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Vito Bellezza, Port St. Lucie, FL
MPC Insurance & Financial Services LLC, Totowa, NJ
I Insure 65, Totowa, NJ
Order #E19-60, June 10, 2019
Dennis Bellezza and MPC Insurance & Financial Services, LLC (MPC) sold, solicited and negotiated insurance for a company when they were not appointed agents of the company, Vito Bellezza and I Insure 65 allowed Dennis Bellezza and MPC to use their appointment with the company so that Dennis Bellezza and MPC could sell the company’s products, and Dennis Bellezza and MPC circulated advertisements that falsely stated that they were appointed by the company.
Sanction: Revocation
Capital Medical Billing Solutions, LLC, Long Branch, NJ
Order #E19-57, June 10, 2019
Respondent operated as a third party billing service prior to being certified as a third party billing service.
Sanction: Fine - $1,000
Nenita D. Causing, Edison, NJ
Order #E19-71, June 25, 2019
Respondent failed to report actions taken against her by FINRA and the New Jersey Bureau of Securities and incorrectly indicated on her license renewal application that she had not been named or involved as a party in an administrative proceeding regarding any professional or occupational license or registration.
Sanction: Fine - $3,000
Robert B. Del Guercio, Cedar Grove, NJ
Order #E19-69, June 25, 2019
Respondent failed to report actions taken against him by FINRA and the New Jersey Bureau of Securities.
Sanction: Fine - $1,500
Kramer Torres Smith, LLC, Wayne, NJ
Order #E19-59, June 12, 2019
Respondent entered into fourteen public adjuster contracts when its public adjuster license was expired.
Sanction: Fine - $1,500
Brett Stephen Mcilveen, Cliffside Park, NJ
Order #E19-56, June 10, 2019
Respondent was responsible for the submission of an automobile insurance application to an insurer that included an inaccurate declaration page that falsely indicated that the applicant had continuous prior coverage.
Sanction: Fine - $5,000
Robert G. Merlo, Secaucus, NJ
Order #E19-61, June 7, 2019
Respondent was convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, failed to report his indictment, conviction and FINRA bar to the Department and failed to respond to a Department inquiry.
Sanction: Revocation
Matthew E. Peregoy, Brick, NJ
Financial Enterprise Inc., Brick, NJ
Order #E19-67, June 14, 2019
Respondents failed to report actions taken against them by FINRA and the New Jersey Bureau of Securities.
Sanction: Revocation
Skylands Medical Billing, Inc., Flemington, NJ
Order #E19-63, June 12, 2019
Respondent, a third party billing service, failed to notify the Commissioner of a material change in ownership.
Sanction: Fine - $2,500
Jose Taveras, Perth Amboy, NJ
Order #E19-58, June 12, 2019
Respondent failed to remit bail bond premium, failed to pay the surety for forfeited judgments and failed to satisfy an Order of Judgment.
Sanction: Revocation, Fine - $5,000
Michael Tracy, Osprey, FL
Public Adjusters Maximum Inc., Osprey, FL
Order #E19-68, June 25, 2019
Respondents entered into a public adjuster contract that did not contain required terms and conditions.
Sanction: Revocation |
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| May |
Final Orders
Wayne M. Citron, Marlboro, NJ
Order #E19-42, May 6, 2019
Respondent had his New York producer license revoked, made a knowingly false statement in support of an insurance claim, did not reveal the New York revocation on his license application, failed to notify the Department of action taken him by the Louisiana Department of Insurance, failed to notify the Department of an indictment for insurance fraud and attempted theft by deception and failed to disclose his indictment on his license renewal application.
Sanction: Revocation, Producer Act Fine - $5,000, Fraud Act Fine - $5,000
Maxwell J. Eskreis, New York, NY
Order #E19-48, May 20, 2019; Amended Final Decision and Order - Order #E19-50
The matter was withdrawn due to the death of the Respondent.
Order Denying Stay
Avelino C. Andrade, Monroe, NJ
Order #E19-49, May 24, 2019
Respondent’s motion for a stay of Order #E19-40 pending appeal is denied.
Order to Show Cause
Stephen A. Russo, Camden, NJ, Pennsauken, NJ and Brooklawn, NJ
Order #E19-47, May 6, 2019
Respondent is charged with being convicted of theft by deception, of failing to seek a waiver from the Commissioner to engage in the business of insurance, and of failing to notify the Department of his arrest and conviction.
Consent Orders
Bony Coulanges, Trenton, NJ
Inter States Insurance Agency, Trenton, NJ
Order #E19-45, May 14, 2019
Respondent failed to timely remit a premium, failed to deposit a premium in a trust account, failed to maintain required records, issued a premium receipt which did not contain required information and failed to notify the Department of the closing of a branch office.
Sanction: Fine - $3,500
Garden State Dental Management, LLC, Sarasota, FL
Order #E19-43, May 6, 2019
Respondent operated as a third party billing service prior to being certified as a third party billing service.
Sanction: Fine - $1,000
Darryl Pitt, Willingboro, NJ
Pitt Financial and Insurance Agency, Hamilton, NJ
Order #E19-44, May 14, 2019
Respondents failed to timely remit four premium payments.
Sanction: Fine - $1,500
Vincent D. Whitehead, Chester, NJ
Order #E19-46, May 14, 2019
Respondent was convicted of theft by deception for surrendering an annuity without the owner’s authorization and misappropriating the annuity proceeds.
Sanction: Revocation, Fine - $2,500 |
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| April |
Final Order
Avelino C. Andrade, Monroe, NJ
Order #E19-40, April 4, 2019
Respondent misappropriated and failed to remit premium, issued checks for payment of premium that were dishonored, failed to maintain a trust account and failed to maintain copies of receipts for insurance premium payments.
Sanction: Two-year suspension of license, Fine - $26,000, Costs - $400
Orders to Show Cause
Christopher Carlino, Chattanooga, TN
Arrow PEO Brokerage, Inc., Clinton, TN
Order #E19-35, April 2, 2019
Respondents are charged with conducting insurance producer business for New Jersey insureds without being licensed as a producer in New Jersey.
Lambrus G. Ciuia, Elizabeth, NJ
Fox Bail Bonds, LLC, Elizabeth, NJ
Order #E19-38, April 2, 2019
Respondents are charged with failing to remit premium, failing to respond to Department inquiries and conducting business using an unlicensed and unregistered name.
Kimberly A. Williams, Absecon, NJ
KEI Integrity Solutions, Pleasantville, NJ
Order #E19-37, April 2, 2019
Respondent Williams submitted forged documents to the New Jersey Division of Revenue and paid the filing fees with checks stolen from the insurance agency that employed her. Respondent Williams submitted a false address change request for the agency that employed her with the Department of Banking and Insurance. Both respondents submitted false and misleading requests for insurance coverage and submitted an insurance application with false and misleading information, both of which contained bogus and forged documents.
Consent Orders
Kenneth M. Choseed, Cherry Hill, NJ
Order #E19-39, April 2, 2019
Respondent used a public adjuster contract that did not contain required terms and conditions.
Sanction: Fine - $2,500
CompuGroup Medical, Inc, Phoenix, AZ
Order #E19-36, April 2, 2019
Respondent operated as a third party billing service prior to being certified as a third party billing service.
Sanction: Fine - $1,000
Horizon Healthcare Services, Inc., Newark, NJ
Order #E19-41, April 29, 2019
Respondent paid a rebate of premium to policyholders and failed to report a distribution or dividend to the Commissioner.
Sanction: Fine - $250,000 |
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| March |
Final Order
Manuel Moreno, Perth Amboy, NJ
On Time Bail Bonds LLC, Perth Amboy, NJ
Order #E19-29, March 11, 2019
Respondents failed to respond to an Order to Show Cause charging them with failing to remit and misappropriating bail bond premium.
Sanction: Revocation, Fine – Moreno individually - $10,000, Moreno and On Time jointly and severally - $15,000, Costs - $1550, Restitution - $19,500
Orders to Show Cause
Applied Underwriters, Inc., Omaha, NE
Applied Risk Services, Inc., Omaha, NE
Applied Underwriters Captive Risk Assurance Company, Inc., Des Moines, IA
Continental Indemnity Company, Omaha, NE
Order #E19-25, March 6, 2019
Respondents are charged with issuing workers’ compensation programs to New Jersey businesses that impermissibly changed guarantee cost workers’ compensation insurance into retrospectively rated workers’ compensation insurance.
Joseph Vulpis, Millstone Township, NJ
Diversified Public Adjusters, Millstone Township, NJ and Monroe, NJ
Order #E19-32, March 25, 2019
Respondents are charged with entering into public adjuster contracts that did not contain required terms and conditions.
Order Suspending License Pending Completion of Administrative Proceedings
Kirti Shah, Parsippany, NJ
Order #E19-31, March 25, 2019
Respondent’s producer license is suspended pending completion of administrative proceedings and entry of a final order based on his conviction of forgery.
Consent Orders
Karl M. Friedman, Cherry Hill, NJ
Friedman Benefits Group, Inc., Cherry Hill, NJ
Order #E19-33, March 28, 2019
Respondents failed to timely remit premium, deposited premium into an account that was not designated as a trust account and failed to report administrative action taken against him by other states.
Sanction: Fine - $25,000
Horizon Healthcare of New Jersey, Inc., Newark, NJ
Order #E19-34, March 28, 2019
Respondent delayed in providing authorized medical supplies to members.
Sanction: Fine - $1,940,000
Steven J. Larkin, Lawrenceville, NJ
Order #E19-27, March 11, 2019
Respondent failed to hold annuity funds for a beneficiary in trust, accepted trustee fees in addition to commissions and misrepresented a life insurance policy as a long-term care insurance policy.
Sanction: Fine - $10,000
National Preventive Solutions Corp., Miami Beach, FL
Order #E19-28, March 11, 2019
Respondent solicited applications for dental insurance without being admitted or otherwise authorized to transact business in New Jersey.
Sanction: Fine - $10,000 |
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| February |
Final Order
Sean Michael Moore, Joint Base MDL, NJ
Order #E19-17, February 22, 2019
Respondent failed to respond to an Order to Show Cause charging him with conviction of felony accessing or possessing with intent to view child pornography and failing to notify the Commissioner of his indictment and conviction.
Sanction: Revocation, Fine - $6,000, Costs - $207.50
Order to Show Cause
Seixas G. Milner III, Lawrenceville, GA
North American Senior Benefits, Lawrenceville, GA
Order #E19-22, February 25, 2019
Respondents are charged with using an advertisement that misleadingly implied a relationship to a government program or benefit and that only a specific number of policies would be sold, that failed to identify the producer and insurer and that failed to disclose information in a conspicuous and unambiguous fashion. Respondents are also charged with misrepresenting to the Department the number of solicitations sent. Respondent North American Senior Benefits is charged with soliciting insurance without being licensed as a producer.
Consent Orders
Joseph Beringhelli, Hawthorne, NJ
CD Financial Agency, LLC, Hawthorne, NJ
Order #E19-16, February 22, 2019
Respondents failed to supervise an employee who submitted an altered automobile declaration page purporting to evidence prior coverage to an insurer.
Sanction: Fine - $2,500
Federated Life Insurance Company, Owatonna, MN
Order #E19-18, February 22, 2019
Respondent used an application form with disability insurance even though the form was approved by the Department for use with individual life insurance only.
Sanction: Fine - $25,000
Joseph Allen Gaines Jr, Huntsville, TX
Order #E19-23, February 25, 2019
Respondent was convicted of the first-degree felony of misapplication of fiduciary property of an elderly person and failed to report his indictment and conviction to the Commissioner.
Sanction: Revocation
Kareo Inc, Irvine, CA
Order #E19-20, February 22, 2019
Respondent conducted business as a third party billing service prior to being certified as a third party billing service.
Sanction: Fine - $2,500
Sean M. Knight, Mount Laurel, NJ
Order #E19-21, February 25, 2019
Respondent submitted applications for homeowner’s coverage without cancelling the insured’s existing coverage, resulting in duplicate coverage.
Sanction: Fine - $2,500
Jason Moey, Feasterville-Trevose, PA
Order #E19-15, February 22, 2019
Respondent submitted a misleading appraisal with a homeowner’s claim, failed to report an indictment to the Commissioner and failed to disclose his indictment on his license renewal application.
Sanction: Fine for Producer Act violations - $10,000, Fine for Fraud Act violations - $3,500, Fraud Act surcharge - $175
Wesco Insurance Company, New York, NY
Order #E19-19, February 22, 2019
Respondent notified workers’ compensation policyholders that their policies would be renewed in an affiliated company prior to the Department’s approval of the replacement carrier and prior to its acknowledgement that Respondent’s withdrawal filing was compliant and the Department’s review complete.
Sanction: Fine - $25,000 |
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| January |
Final Orders
Magdalena Guzman, Perth Amboy, NJ and Fort Myers, FL
Order #E19-01, January 3, 2019
Respondent failed to respond to an Order to Show Cause charging her with submitting insurance applications for fictitious employees, with forging employer signatures on insurance forms, and with failing to respond to Department inquiries and a Department subpoena.
Sanction: Revocation, Fine for Producer Act violations - $8,500, Fine for Fraud Act violations - $7,500, Restitution - $1,162.62, Costs - $550, Attorneys’ Fees - $3,000
Mark Jiorle, Franklin Park, NJ and Kendall Park, NJ
Order #E19-04, January 2, 2019
Respondent failed to respond to an Order to Show Cause charging him with disclosing a change of beneficiary on a life insurance policy to a person who was not the policy owner.
Sanction: Revocation, Fine - $5,000, Costs - $400
Orders to Show Cause
Michael Patrick Diviney, Deptford, NJ
Property Damage Adjusters, Inc., Deptford, NJ
Samuel A. Demaio, Sicklerville, NJ
Accupro Environmental, LLC, Turnersville, NJ
Order #E19-03, January 3, 2019
Respondent public adjusters are charged with using a public adjuster contract that does not contain required terms and conditions and with charging fees that were not reasonably related to the services rendered. Respondent public adjusters and respondent home improvement contractors are charged submission of false claims to insurance companies.
John Kessler, North Brunswick, NJ
Order #E19-08, January 2, 2019
Respondent is charged with forging applicant signatures on insurance applications and submitting insurance applications with false or misleading information.
Kirti Shah, Parsippany, NJ
Order #E19-13, January 24, 2019
Respondent is charged with altering a certificate of insurance, conviction of fourth degree forgery, and revocation of his insurance producer license by another state.
Vincent A. Thomas, Jackson, NJ and West Palm Beach, FL
Pristine Adjusters Inc., Jackson, NJ
Order #E19-09, January 2, 2019
Respondents are charged with failing to remit insurance claim proceeds, issuing settlement checks to consumers that were dishonored, failing to maintain an escrow or trust account, using public adjuster contracts that did not contain required information and failing to respond to Department inquiries.
Order to Show Cause Seeking Immediate License Suspension Pending Completion of Administrative Proceedings
Kirti Shah, Parsippany, NJ
Order #E19-12, January 24, 2019
Respondent is charged, with among other things, being convicted of a felony involving breach of dishonesty or trust and failing to obtain a waiver from the Commissioner to engage in the business of insurance as required by 18 U.S.C. 1033.
Consent Orders
Hudson Brice, Paulsboro, NJ
Hudson Bail Bonds, LLC, Westville, NJ
Order #E19-05, January 2, 2019
Respondents commingled funds, failed to establish and maintain a trust account and attempted to satisfy a bail forfeiture judgment with a check that was returned for insufficient funds.
Sanction: Fine - $3,000
Kwen Y. Chen, Haddonfield, NJ
Order #E19-02, January 3, 2019
Respondent misappropriated client funds by submitting fraudulent withdrawal and loan requests and by failing to remit premium payments, failed to report a FINRA action and a Bureau of Securities action to the Commissioner, was convicted of mail fraud and failed to report a criminal prosecution and conviction to the Commissioner.
Sanction: Revocation, Fine - $100,000
Dimensional Management Eastern, LLC, Avenel, NJ
Order #E19-06, January 3, 2019
Respondent conducted business as a third party billing service prior to being certified by the Commissioner as a third party billing service.
Sanction: Fine - $1,000
Isatu Tejan-Sie, Long Branch, NJ
Order #E19-10, January 8, 2019
Respondent failed to report her indictment for conspiracy to commit wire fraud to the Commissioner.
Sanction: Revocation
Transamerica Life Insurance Company, Cedar Rapids, IA
Order #E19-07, January 3, 2019
Respondent issued noncompliant individual health benefit plans to New Jersey residents.
Sanction: Fine - $1,852,500, Restitution - $4,090,019
John Vincelli, Lake Hopatcong, NJ
Order #E19-11, January 16, 2019
Respondent created a fictitious insurance document and forged an insured’s signature on insurance documents.
Sanction: Revocation |
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