Fraudulent life insurance policies paid off only for Miami insurance agents, state says [Miami Herald]

Insurance agents from Miami, Kendall and Doral fraudulently used others' personal identification to claim they sold life insurance policies to people who didn't buy them, state investigators say.

The alleged lies, arrest forms say, brought the agents commissions from John Hancock Life Insurance.

In alphabetical order, the charged insurance agents are:

Doral's Yuriatsi Carrasco, 35, has been charged with one count of false insurance claims, one count of third-degree grand theft and four counts of fraudulent use of personal identification. Carrasco was arrested Oct. 12 and released after posting $45,000 bond.

Kendall's Alexander Faneites-Garcia (spelled as "Faneitas-Garcia" in Miami-Dade court records), 59, has been charged with six counts of fraudulent use of personal identification. Faneites was arrested Oct. 17 and released after posting $15,000 bond.

Doral's Nicolas Giraldo Gutierrez, 25, has been charged with one count of false insurance claims, one count of third-degree grand theft and three counts of fraudulent use of personal identification. Giraldo was arrested Oct. 12 and released after posting $45,000 bond.

Miami's Yanet Hernandez-Suarez, charged with one count of false insurance claims and one count of fraudulent use of personal identification. Hernandez was arrested Oct. 17 and released after posting $15,000 bond.

The arrests were announced Monday by the Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and first reported Tuesday by InsuranceJournal.com. The Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Investigative and Forensic Services handled the investigation.

"These four licensed insurance agents, now charged with felonies, appeared to believe that their inside insurance position made them immune to prosecution," said a statement from Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. "They were wrong."

Arrest reports say the four ran the same scheme at various times from November 2020 through January 2022: Take the name, birth date, Social Security number, driver's license number from a person who doesn't know his or her information has been stolen and fill out an application; answer the 11 medical questions; and fill in the person's name with an electronic signature.

Florida OFR says the four worked the scheme to get $38,799 from John Hancock. Acting on tips, investigators began talking in January with the people purported to buy the policies.

Who these licensed insurance agents can sell for now

An online check of state records say the insurance agent licenses for each remain valid. Here are the companies for which their license entries say they have active appointments, allowing them act as agents for those companies.

Carrasco has been licensed to sell life insurance since October 2020. She can sell life insurance including variable annuity insurance appointments from S. USA Life Insurance, Great Western, American Amicable Life Insurance; life alone from Banner Life Insurance and Fidelity & Guarantee Life Insurance; life and health from United of Omaha Life Insurance; health from Sunshine State Health Plan, Molina Healthcare of Florida, Aetna Health, Coventry Health plan of Florida, Oscar Insurance Company of Florida, and Celtic Insurance.

Hernandez has been licensed to sell life insurance since July 2020. Her active appointments allow her to sell life insurance from Primerica Life Insurance and health insurance from HealthSun Health Plans; Devoted Health Plan of Florida; Aetna Health; Simply Healthare Plans; Oscar Insurance Company of Florida; Molina Healthcare of Florida; Preferred Care Partners; Care Improvement Plus South Central Insurance; Preferred Care Network; UnitedHealthcare, United HealthCare of Florida.

Giraldo has been licensed to sell life insurance since September 2020. Hie can sell life insurance that includes a variable annuity from American-Amicable Life Insurance Company of Texas; life including variable annuity & health from Cigna Health and Life; life insurance from Primerica Life; and health insurance from United HealthCare of Florida, Oscar Insurance, Health First Health Plans, Health First Commercial Plans, Celtic Insurance, Aetna Health, and Molina Healthcare of Florida.

Faneitashas been licensed to sell life insurance since June 2017, but has no active appointments.

(C)2023 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.