A certified public accountant (CPA) in Georgia has been arrested and charged with insurance fraud by Special Fraud Investigators from the Georgia Department of Insurance (GADOI), according to a statement from Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens.
Earle Turner, Sr., 67, of McDonough was taken into custody at his DeKalb County business and charged with 19 counts of insurance fraud, 11 counts of identity fraud, and one count of theft by deception. Turner is accused of falsifying multiple life insurance applications and collecting over $11,000 in death benefits.
“Apprehending this suspect is a victory for all Georgia insurance consumers,” said Hudgens. “Insurance fraud results in higher costs for us all.”
According to the investigation, in May 2017, GADOI was notified by Mutual of Omaha of suspected fraudulent activity by Turner. Mutual of Omaha indicated that they discovered three life insurance policies in their system with Turner named as the beneficiary. The insurer contacted the individuals listed as the policyholder, and each stated they had not applied for life insurance through the company and had not authorized Turner to do so on their behalf.
Following a six‐month investigation, GADOI Special Fraud Investigators found that Turner had taken out life insurance policies on nineteen elderly adults without their knowledge or approval and received approximately $11,345.70 in death benefit payouts on five of the policies.
Investigators also determined that Turner used the personal information he obtained from preparing his victim’s taxes to file the fraudulent policies. If convicted, Turner could face up to 10 years in state prison.
“We have found no evidence that this suspect has an insurable interest in any of these individuals,” said Deputy Insurance Commissioner Jay Florence. “Fortunately, our investigators stopped this scheme before more policies were submitted without the consumer’s knowledge.”
This investigation was conducted with assistance from Mutual of Omaha’s Corporate Investigation Unit. Commissioner Hudgens would like to thank the DeKalb County Police Department for providing support in the arrest of the suspect. The case will be prosecuted by the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office.
Source: Georgia Department of Insurance
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