Insurance Agent Picks Wrong Lead Generation Method, Ends Up In Jail

An Oklahoma insurance agent has found himself on the wrong side of the law, allegedly miscoding workers compensation policy applications.

As Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt’s office breaks it down, the defendant was leveled with eight felony charges earlier this month for reportedly making false or misleading statements in insurance applications and receiving funds via false pretenses.

Fernando Espinoza, 27, of Norman, is alleged by authorities to have miscoded workers’ comp insurance policy applications in order for roofing employers to look like “paint and paper hanging” businesses so they could acquire workers’ comp coverage. As the law states, the insurer does not issue workers comp policies to roofing companies and therefore, considers such policies to be invalid.

As the investigation unfolded, it was determined that the roofing companies informed Espinoza they were working primarily as just that, roofing companies.

The charges noted that there were a number of cases where the defendant reportedly issued certificates of insurance that did not have the backing of actual policies and would use a quote number as opposed to a policy number. Even though the items looked real, there were in fact no actual policies.

In the end, Espinoza could get up to seven years behind bars and/or a fine of up to $10,000 if found guilty.