From CommunityDispatch.com

Insurance Related = Press=20 Releases
Insurance = Commissioner=20 John Garamendi Announces Sentencing of Unlicensed Los = Angeles Man=20 for Theft of Premiums
By California Department of=20 Insurance
May 1, 2006, 11:57

For=20 Release: May 1,=20 2006

Media=20 Calls Only: 213-346-6342

Insurance=20 Commissioner John Garamendi Announces Sentencing of = Unlicensed=20 Los Angeles Man = for=20 Theft of Premiums

Unlicensed=20 agent collects $18,000 from truck driver clients and = defrauded=20 several insurance companies =96 sentenced to one year = summary=20 probation

LOS=20 ANGELES =96 Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi announced = today that=20 on May 1, = 2006,=20 unlicensed insurance agent Jose Miguel Marquez, 23, was = sentenced to=20 one year of summary probation and ordered to reimburse the=20 California Department of Insurance (CDI) $10,000 for = investigative=20 costs for his crime of theft of premiums.=20

Marquez pled guilty to one misdemeanor count = of theft=20 of funds, after an investigation by the CDI Investigation = Division.=20

According to investigators, Marquez = committed his=20 crimes at Unitrans Insurance Services, where he collected = $18,000.00=20 during an 18-month period from several truck driver clients = for=20 commercial truck insurance. Instead of sending their = payments to=20 insurance companies, Marquez kept the money and issued bogus = proof=20 of insurance documents. In order to make the policies appear = legitimate, he used real insurance company names that = specialize in=20 providing insurance to the trucking industry. The companies = Marquez=20 used include the following: Liberty Mutual, Sutter Insurance = Company, General Security Insurance, TOPA Insurance, = Adriatic=20 Insurance and Ranger Insurance Company.=20

"This=20 individual put the safety and protection of these truck = drivers at=20 risk by selling bogus insurance," said Insurance = Commissioner John=20 Garamendi. "Those who wish to cheat the system need to think = twice=20 before playing this game =96 you will be caught and = prosecuted."=20

Marquez targeted Latino truck drivers and = mislead them=20 to believe they were receiving bonafide commercial trucker = policies.=20 Since the monies collected were not used to issue policies, = the=20 truckers were in great jeopardy by driving without valid = insurance=20 including liability, physical damage and cargo coverage. = After being=20 contacted by the CDI, Carlos Vasquez Marquez, a licensed = agent and=20 brother of Jose Marquez, refunded the premium to the = victims.=20 However, by law because there was an initial theft, a crime = was=20 committed. The case was prosecuted by the Los Angeles County = District Attorney=92s Auto Insurance Fraud Division.=20

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