Public Adjuster Arrested on Charges of Stealing From Hurricane Victim

ATLANTA — A public was charged with stealing more than $215,000 in insurance money from a Georgia business damaged by Hurricane Michael, authorities said.

Steven Eric Chastain is accused of stealing insurance checks from a business in Albany, Georgia, and was charged Friday with two counts of theft by conversion, the state’s Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, John F. King, said.

“This man is accused of taking complete advantage of his client in a time when they desperately needed someone to rely on. These types of acts will not be tolerated in this state,” King said in a news release.

More charges will likely be brought against Chastain, King added.

Chastain, owner of Nationwide Public Adjusters, was hired to handle insurance claims after the business suffered damages from Hurricane Michael in October 2018. Chastain, 58, is accused of taking multiple checks from an insurance company without sending them to his client.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether Chastain had a lawyer to speak on his behalf. He was jailed in Atlanta, awaiting a bond hearing.

If convicted on the theft by conversion charge, he faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.