San Francisco Viatical Broker Indicted for Fraud

California Insurance Commissioner Harry W. Low announced the filing of felony charges against a San Francisco area viatical broker. The charges are the result of an ongoing joint investigation by the California Department of Insurance, the United States Attorney’s Office, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Kentucky Department of Insurance.

Charles “Chuck” Cole, 49, was allegedly doing business out of his home in San Francisco as Genesis Viatical. In court papers, Cole is alleged to have referred people with terminal illnesses to insurance agents who would then attempt to obtain new life insurance policies for them despite their terminal illness.

According to investigators, the insurance agents were also a party to the viatical settlement scheme. According to investigators, the insureds would lie on their application for insurance so their policy could be issued. Once issued, Cole would assist the insureds in selling their policies in a viatical settlement. Cole would then arrange for Kelco, Incorporated, out of Kentucky, to purchase the life insurance policies when they knew, and had reason to know the policies had been obtained fraudulently due to the insured’s misrepresentation of their health status.

According to investigators, Cole solicited people with diagnosed terminal illnesses to purchase multiple policies from different companies, a practice known as “stacking.” Insureds would then hide their medical conditions in a practice known as “cleansheeting.”

The insurance policies are generally whole-life plans with a comparatively low face value between $25,000 and $150,000. The low value on the policy allows for rather loose criteria; an applicant must be between 15 and 50 years of age and without serious medical problems, but no physical examination or blood work is required. The investor pays a percentage of the policy’s face value and continues to pay the premiums. In return, the investor has the right to collect the full amount upon the death of the insured.

Investors in the viatical market typically seek a high return. Nationally, many elderly and fixed-income people have been targeted. They are usually tempted by the high or guaranteed rates of return and the Good Samaritan justification. Before dying, the insured receives the benefit of the money from the sale of the policy.

According to investigators, Cole brokered the sale of more than $8 million in life insurance policies to Kelco from Oct. 1, 1997 to Feb. 1, 1999. The indictment alleges that he received commissions of 2% of that amount. Cole has entered a plea of guilty and agreed to surrender his license to act as a viatical broker in the state of California. Cole has also agreed to cooperate with government attorneys and investigators in looking into industry-wide viatical fraud.

Topics California Agencies Fraud