Former Okla. Claims Manager Pleads Guilty to Fraud Charges

The former claims manager for an Oklahoma insurance company has pleaded guilty to five felony counts of grand larceny by fraud, according to state Attorney General Drew Edmondson.

The charges against Rhonda K. Bonnewell were filed July 19 in Oklahoma County District Court after she allegedly wrote more than $12,000 in checks for wokers’ compensation insurance claims and used the money to pay personal debts. Bonnewell is the former claims manager for the Oklahoma Restaurant Group Self Insurance Association.

The alleged violations took place between the beginning of January 2005 and the end of July 2005, according to the indictment.

“Rhonda Bonnewell was ordered today to pay $12,901.92 in restitution and serve a five-year deferred sentence,” Edmondson said. “She will also pay court costs and a victims’ compensation assessment.”

Bonnewell was charged after an investigation by Edmondson’s Workers’ Compensation and Insurance Fraud Unit, which has statewide jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute workers’ compensation and insurance fraud.

Source: Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office