Agent Pleads Guilty in Maryland Auto Fund Fraud, AG Reports

A former insurance agent and former owner of the Culpepper Insurance Agency in Baltimore has pleaded guilty in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County to felony insurance fraud, according to Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler.

According to gansler, Judge John Grason Turnbull, II sentenced Jerry M. Culpepper, to probation before judgment and supervised probation for a period of two years and ordered him to pay $13, 456.00 in restitution.

Offcials said their investigation revealed that approximately 29 individuals insured by the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund (MAIF) paid their insurance premiums directly to Culpepper only to learn later that their automobile insurance had been cancelled for lack of payment. They said auditing revealed that Culpepper misappropriated approximately $13,456.00 in insurance premiums between February, 2004 and February, 2005.

MAIF later reinstated the policies when made aware of the fraud.

The indictment follows a joint investigation by the Insurance Fraud Division of the Maryland Insurance Administration and the Office of the Attorney General.

Source: Maryland Attorney General