A former insurance agent from Flint, MI has been sentenced to serve a 20-month prison sentence and ordered to pay over $90,000 in restitution for her role in embezzling 34 clients.
Angella Swain, 53, was sentenced by a Genesee County judge after she pleaded guilty to one count of conducting a criminal enterprise, 11 counts of embezzlement, and one count of using a computer to commit a crime.
Swain was charged back in 2018 with selling fake insurance certificates, from 2011 to 2016. According to investigators, she pocketed her clients’ payments and provided fraudulent paperwork to trick her victims into thinking they were insured. Her victims would only discover that they did not have any coverage when they attempted to submit claims.
The former agent was previously licensed to sell insurance in Michigan, from 2002 to 2013. But the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services suspended, then later revoked Swain’s license for failing to remit premium payments to insurers.
From 2014 to 2016, Swain and her ex-husband Cornell Jones operated Select Insurance Services, selling insurance policies through the business despite lacking a proper license.
“Embezzlement is a crime my office takes very seriously and we will aggressively pursue justice by enforcing the laws that serve to protect our residents and consumers from fraudulent, predatory actions such as these,” said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
“Ms. Swain’s sentence makes it clear that there is no tolerance for fraud in the Michigan insurance industry, and it should serve as a warning to those who seek to exploit Michiganders,” said Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services director Anita Fox.
ABC12 News reported that Swain will begin serving her sentence in January next year.
