Tyler County, W. Va. Agent Pleads Guilty to Fraud

West Virginia officials say a longtime Tyler County insurance agent has pleaded guilty to fraud. Sistersville resident Bennie H. Kile Jr. of the Kile Insurance Agency admitted he took money and promised customers insurance policies he failed to deliver.

State Insurance Commissioner Jane L. Cline said in a prepared statement that Kile also admitted to forging a customer’s signature on an insurance application form.

Kile was indicted March 13 by a Tyler County grand jury. He pleaded guilty to three felony counts of conducting a fraudulent scheme and one felony count of forgery, according to Cline.

The Insurance Commission’s Fraud Unit conducted the investigation in cooperation with the Tyler County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the West Virginia State Police.

Kile was sentenced last week to one to 10 years in prison on each felony count, but the sentence was suspended. He was ordered to serve a year of home confinement, provide 300 hours of community service and pay restitution in excess of $21,000 to all victims.