Jacksonville Agent Arrested for Filing Hundreds of Fraudulent Insurance Applications and Collecting $46,000 In Advance Commissions
Dec 3, 2009
The Florida Division of Insurance Fraud announced today, December 3, 2009, that it has arrested a Jacksonville insurance agent for submitting approximately 225 fraudulent insurance applications and collecting nearly $46,000 in advance commissions.
The press release from the Office of Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink detailing the arrest is reprinted below.
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CFO Sink Busts Jacksonville Insurance Agent For Hundreds Of Fraudulent Applications
TALLAHASSEE – Florida CFO Alex Sink announced today that her Division of Insurance Fraud arrested Jacksonville insurance agent Kathren Zaazouh on two counts of insurance fraud. Zaazouh allegedly submitted approximately 225 bogus insurance applications and pocketed almost $46,000 in advance commissions. She faces a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
“Insurance fraud hits every single Floridian right in the wallet, because if unchecked it will hike up their premiums,” said CFO Sink. “We will continue to crack down on this type of insurance fraud and I commend our investigators for their diligent work in this case.”
Zaazouh worked for American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (AFLAC) until March 2009, when she was terminated following an investigation by AFLAC’s Special Unit Investigator. AFLAC then forwarded its findings to the Division of Insurance Fraud for criminal investigation.
The Division’s investigation found that Zaazouh submitted hundreds of applications with fake names of employees for several different businesses that had AFLAC group policies and created a fake business using a list of non-existing employees. Zaazouh was arrested December 1 and charged with Insurance Fraud and Organized Scheme to Defraud. She was booked into the Duval County Jail on a $250,000 bond.
CFO Sink’s Division of Insurance Fraud made over 800 insurance fraud-related arrests in the last fiscal year, and investigates various forms of insurance fraud, including health, life, auto, property and workers’ compensation insurance. Depending on the estimated loss amount, the Department of Financial Services will pay up to $25,000 for information directly leading to an arrest and conviction. Anyone with information about this or any other suspected insurance fraud is asked to call CFO Sink’s Fraud Fighters Hotline at 1-800-378-0445 or visit to www.MyFloridaCFO.com/fraud.
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