CENTRAL GEORGIAN SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR BANK FRAUD IN INSURANCE SCHEME

The following information was released by the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia:

"Agent of the Year" Schemed to Pay Other Premiums to Earn Title for Additional Consecutive Year

MACON, Ga. The former owner and repeat winner of "Insurance Agent of the Year" of a Warner Robins insurance group was sentenced to federal prison for a premium payment scheme the Government maintains he committed to again win the distinction and enjoy its associated benefits.

Jeremy Lasseter, 44, of Perry, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 27 months in prison and pay $221,515.16 in restitution to the victim (paid in full by the defendant at sentencing) to the victim by U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell on Nov. 19, after he pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud on Aug. 27. There is no parole in the federal system.

"The money taken from the victim has had a significant negative impact on her life. The defendant must be held accountable for defrauding her and abusing the trust placed in him by Alfa Insurance," said U.S. Attorney William R. "Will" Keyes. "This is not a victimless crime; such schemes will not be tolerated in the Middle District of Georgia."

"Lasseter's actions undermined the integrity of the insurance industry and his deliberate scheme to redirect premium payments for his own gain is a clear violation of the law and a betrayal of the victim's trust," said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. "The FBI remains committed to holding individuals accountable who exploit others for personal benefit."

According to court documents and statements referenced in court, Lasseter was the owner of an Alfa Insurance Agency group located in Warner Robins and was selected as Alfa's Georgia "Insurance Agent of the Year" for four years in a row. Beginning in March 2020, Lasseter directed the victim, who was one of his insurance customers, to make premium payments but did not apply the payments towards her policies. Instead, the defendant used the victim's premium payments towards the premiums for other insurance customers without the victim's knowledge or consent. When directing the victim to make payments, he would sometimes instruct her to make the checks payable to him rather than Alfa Insurance or to provide cash payments to him, stating that it was better for tax purposes. The victim relied on Lasseter's instructions to her and, at his direction, made a total of $221,515.16 in payments that were not used towards her policies, but were used to pay other customers of Lasseter's policies. The Government maintains that Lasseter initiated this fraud to secure Alfa's "Insurance Agent of the Year" award for an additional consecutive year, an honor that would grant him other perks and status.

The case was investigated by FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Howard is prosecuting the case for the Government.