State Charges Insurance Agent Scammed Spanish-Speaking Customers

Oct. 23--RALEIGH -- State insurance regulators said Tuesday that they have charged that a former Allstate agent from Wendell embezzled money from Spanish-speaking clients by telling them she was arranging coverage and them embezzling the money they paid.

Leilani Flete Arellano, 23, of 1067 Lake Wendell Road, Wendell, was arrested last week, the state Department of Insurance said.

Department investigators charged her with five counts each of embezzlement by an insurance agent and obtaining property by false pretense, and one count of attempting to obtain property by false pretense.

They charged that she also collected fees for services that are supposed to be free to customers.

Her bond was set at $20,000.

Officials said she worked for Allstate Insurance from January to July, when she was fired.

Customers found out about the problem when they were sent bills for the balance of their payments or got notices that policies had lapsed because Allstate had not received payments, the department said.

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