A DeKalb County accountant was arrested Wednesday on charges of insurance fraud for allegedly taking out life insurance policies on 19 elderly customers without permission.
Earle Turner Sr., 67, faces 30 various counts of insurance and identity fraud, according to a news release from Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens.
“Apprehending this suspect is a victory for all Georgia insurance consumers,” said Hudgens.
According to the release, Mutual of Omaha notified Georgia officials of suspected fraudulent activity by Turner after finding him as the beneficiary of three policies. The three victims said they hadn’t given Turner, who runs an office on Covington Highway, permission to take out the policies.
The investigation eventually found all 19 policies, each of which bore the name of one of Turner’s customers. Five of them died while he allegedly had policies in their names, but only one policy of $10,000 fully paid out.
“Fortunately our investigators stopped this scheme before more policies were submitted without the consumer’s knowledge,” Deputy Insurance Commissioner Jay Florence said.
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