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Member, Beacon International Group, Ltd.
A Connecticut man who sold insurance covering prizes for golfers making a hole-in-one and subsequently was accused of bilking players of their winnings reportedly pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor last week in a Montana court.
Kevin W. Kolenda, president and CEO of Hole-In-Won.com, had been charged with felony insurance fraud but pleaded guilty to acting as an insurer without a license in Montana, according to the The Missoulian newspaper.
Hole-In-Won sells hole-in-one insurance, which covers the cost of prizes awarded to golfers who make ace shots. Mr. Kolenda’s company reportedly refused to pay an $18,000 prize to a Montana man who hit a hole-in-one at a 2010 Montana golf tournament, falsely claiming that the golfer’s tee was too close to the hole to qualify for the money.
Mr. Kolenda reportedly agreed to pay $10,000 to the Montana golfer as part of his plea agreement.
This isn’t the first time Mr. Kolenda has been accused of putting away his insurance responsibilities. He pleaded guilty last month to selling insurance without a license in Washington and first-degree theft, according to the Washington State Insurance Commissioner’s office.
He was ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution in the Washington case after failing to issue $75,000 in hole-in-one prizes. The Washington insurance office says Mr. Kolenda faces similar charges in Ohio, Georgia, California, New York, Hawaii, Alabama, Massachusetts, Florida, Connecticut and North Carolina.