South Dakota School Secretary Caught in Insurance Fraud

A secretary at South Dakota school who forged insurance paperwork to make false insurance claims for her son was ordered to pay $8,000 in fines and restitution.

A prosecutor says Bernadette Soesbe altered chiropractic claim forms that had been filled out by a school custodian.

She wrote her son’s name on documents to collect money from the AFLAC insurance company.

The prosecutor says Soesbe changed information on the forms. She could have collected $400 at most, but the insurance company didn’t pay because it suspected the forms were fraudulent.

The Mitchell Daily Republic reports the 40-year-old Soesbe was given a five-year suspended prison sentence last month. Judge John Brown fined her $5,000 and ordered her to pay $3,000 to cover the investigation’s cost.