Former Centralia Insurance Agent Accused of Pocketing $37,000 in Premiums

Jan. 29--A former insurance agent based in Centralia has been accused of stealing more than $37,000 in customers' premium payments, according to court documents and the Washington state Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

Matthew G. Gingerich, 37, of Centralia, pleaded not guilty Friday in Lewis County Superior Court at his first appearance on a single charge of first-degree theft.

The charge was filed Jan. 2, and Gingerich was sent a summons. On Friday, he was granted unsecured bail, allowing him to remain out of custody pending future hearings.

Gingerich's trial is currently scheduled to begin in late April.

According to court documents, the American Family Insurance Co. began an audit of Gingerich in February 2014 after Gingerich put an "internal block" on a client's account, meaning the client would not receive a notice if a premium was not paid and their policy was canceled, according to court documents.

A report from the Office of the Insurance Commissioner's Investigative Unit showed Gingerich withheld approximately $37,000 of premium payments, according to court documents.

Gingerich reportedly provided altered bank statements to investigators. When auditors discovered the alterations, he reportedly admitted to misappropriating the premium payments.

Detectives also found Gingerich was putting fake bank account numbers on bank records, according to court documents.

Gingerich was fired from American Family Insurance after the audit and his insurance provider license was revoked in February 2016, according to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

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