Two Minneapolis Women Plead Guilty to Stealing More Than $1 Million from the ING Company

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 27 -- The U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota issued the following news release:

Today in federal court, a 41-year-old Minneapolis woman pleaded guilty to stealing more than $1 million from the ING life insurance company. Angela Patrice Madison pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting mail fraud. Madison, who was charged along with a co-defendant via an Information on July 26, 2012, entered her plea before United States District Judge Susan R. Nelson.

In her plea agreement, Madison admitted that from 2003 through March 6, 2012, she worked as a policy plan and service coordinator for ING. In that capacity, she handled, among other things, requests from ING clients to obtain loans and "surrender"--that is, cash in--their life insurance policies. Madison used ING's computer system to generate false "surrenders" in the names of various individuals, including her co-defendant, Tracy Dione Jackson, age 42, of Minneapolis. The checks issued as a result of those surrenders were mailed to Jackson at various addresses across the state or intercepted by Madison and given to Jackson. Then Jackson cashed the checks and split the proceeds with Madison. Through this scheme, the women stole approximately $1,633,301 from ING, the result of 196 fraudulent checks.

Jackson, who was charged along with Madison, pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting mail fraud. She entered her plea before Judge Nelson on August 28, 2012.

For their crimes, Madison and Jackson each face a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. Judge Nelson will determine their sentences at future hearings, not yet scheduled.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy C. Rank.

TNS-LE 120929-4048795 StaffFurigay