Man Pleads Guilty To Duping Family With Fake Life Insurance Policy For 12 Years

July 21-- Eric Boyland testified Tuesday that no other family should have to endure what his family experienced after discovering a man had stolen his mother's life insurance money.

Boyland said he has worked with juveniles, but "when you get to that point when you're an older person, you should know better," Boyland said.

Jerry Gardner, 62, who pleaded guilty to theft, testified Tuesday that he used the money for his own personal gain.

"You started by saying, 'to make a little story short,'" said Shelby County Assistant District Attorney Bo Summers. "This isn't a little story is it? This isn't a short story, is it?"

"No," he said.

Nancy Boyland reported Gardner to police Aug. 19, 2013, following the death of her mother on Aug. 17. The family was preparing funeral arrangements.

"It was discovered that there was no insurance coverage on file," according to an affidavit.

Her mother had been paying Gardner, who represented himself as an insurance agent, since 2001 and the family expected the policy to be about $27,000.

Gardner admitted he used Shannon Boyland's money for "personal bills" and "business accounts," according to the affidavit.

Criminal Court Judge Glenn Wright scheduled sentencing for Gardner for Aug. 25 to provide enough time to find out if Gardner is suspected of committing any crime elsewhere.

His attorney, John Pritchard, said Gardner is an ideal candidate for probation.

Summers asked for incarceration, followed by probation and restitution.

___

Visit The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.) at www.commercialappeal.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.