Author: financial services often ‘a barbaric culture’ that worships money

A shocking lawsuit accuses a top-selling insurance agency of promoting rampant office drug use, sexual abuse and degradation of agents who missed sales targets.

Filed by agent Renee Zinsky against Arias Agencies and others, as detailed by The Insider. describes shocking acts – such as office wrestling matches, use of date rape drugs and sexual acts carried out in front of employees.

Zinsky's complaint describes an all-too-familiar culture in financial services, one popularized in movies like "The Wolf of Wall Street" and television shows like "Succession."

Laura Crawshaw has over 30 years' experience as a psychotherapist and executive coach, and also has authored books dealing with workplace behavior. She sometimes does training at financial services companies and is still shocked by some of the behaviors described.

"I find it to be one of the most barbaric cultures because the money is worshipped above all," Crawshaw said. "Interpersonal relationships or respectful conduct or basic human decency is not given any value. Money is worshipped and those who can produce money are are worshipped and everything else falls by the wayside."

Zinsky initially filed a lawsuit in the Western District of Pennsylvania in April 2022 against Simon Arias, Arias Agencies, Michael Russin, and American Income Life Insurance Co. In July, a judge granted a motion to compel arbitration filed by Arias and AIL. Zinzky is pursuing arbitration in against those defendants.

Her lawsuit against Russin, a top Arias lieutenant, continues in federal court.

Top performer

Simon Arias touts his agency as AIL's "largest distribution center in the United States." A quick web search reveals the success Arias has enjoyed since opening his first office in 2008. Arias Agency has since grown to 21 offices in 12 states.

According to Zinsky's lawsuit, Arias found his mirror image in Michael Russin. In a 2018 agency video, Arias describes Russin as "loyal as they come and super-disciplined in everything that he does."

Together they drove substantial sales for American Income Life, a subsidiary of Globe Life. In 2022, Simon Arias was honored with the Legacy Award at the 2022 Globe Life Achievement Awards.

Of Zinsky's claims, Globe Life's executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Jennifer Haworth, said via email that "we do not comment on pending litigation."

Zinsky reported to Russin, she said in the lawsuit, and that relationship quickly went sideways.

"Russin would frequently make inappropriate, lewd, violent, degrading, and sexualized comments, threats, and other offensive behavior toward females in his professional capacity," the lawsuit reads.

Things escalated, Zinsky's alleged, to repeated, unwanted sexual advances by Russin, often during private vehicle rides. Russin administered the GHB and other date-rape drugs and engaged in sex acts with other Arias employees while Zinsky was in the vehicle, she alleged.

"During work meetings, Russin would often expose his genitals to Plaintiff and her female peers, along with physical gestures and verbal comments/questions such as, 'What are you going to do about this?' the lawsuit said.

Course correction?

Zinsky signed a mandatory arbitration agreement with AIL and Arias Agencies, which barred her from filing a lawsuit, the Insider reported. That led to the judge's decision. Zinsky followed up by filing for arbitration against AIL and Arias Agencies in September.

If Globe Life and AIL are serious about cleaning up Arias Agencies, it starts with a complete culture change, said Crawshaw, author of the books titled, "Taming The Abrasive Manager: How To End Unnecessary Roughness In The Workplace."

"What they could do is they could require the company to install respectful workplace policies, civility policies, they could do management training," she explained. "And then how does one monitor that that things have really turned around? That occurs with anonymous climate surveys, or workplace health surveys."

An administrator, possibly an outside consultant, could conduct surveys of the staff.

"Every individual is given an opportunity, anonymously, to report their experience at the workplace," Crawshaw said.

AIL finally fired Russin last year, but the Insider's reporting questions whether he is actually gone. According to the story, Zinsky contends that Russin remains involved with the business, participating in meetings and work events.

Crawshaw's new book is titled, "Grow Your Spine and Manage Abrasive Leadership Behavior: A Guide for Those Who Manage Bosses Who Bully." Unfortunately, if companies do not want to change or demand change from affiliate businesses, Crawshaw said there's nothing employees can do beyond litigating or walking away.

"The only thing that turns bosses who bully around is intervention from above," she said, where a superior, or even the board of directors, sits the individual down and says, 'Look, we're getting a lot of complaints about your management style. This cannot continue. You need to turn this around."

InsuranceNewsNet Senior Editor John Hilton covered business and other beats in more than 20 years of daily journalism. John may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @INNJohnH.

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InsuranceNewsNet Senior Editor John Hilton has covered business and other beats in more than 20 years of daily journalism. John may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @INNJohnH.