The Georgia Department of Insurance said Thursday that a Floyd County insurance agent has been arrested on fraud charges related to the misappropriation of workers compensation insurance premiums.
Marshall Irwin, owner and operator of the Rome, Georgia-based Irwin Agency, was arrested and charged with six counts of insurance fraud. Department investigators discovered that between 2015 and 2017 Irwin accepted $20,000 from his clients to pay premiums for workers comp insurance, which he then used for personal transactions instead of forwarding to the insurance company to place coverage, the department said in the statement.
“The actions of Mr. Irwin have put consumers and business at significant financial risk. We will not tolerate any insurance agent stealing from policyholders,” Jay Florence, Athens, Georgia-based Deputy Insurance Commissioner said in a statement.
A Columbus, Ohio. woman pleaded guilty to workers’ compensation fraud after filing three false claims while unemployed since 2012, telling investigators she needed medical treatment she could not afford, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation said.