Sacramento-area insurance agent pleads guilty to COVID relief fraud. Here’s how much he stole

A former Sacramento County insurance agent pleaded guilty Friday to stealing nearly $2 million in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds for his own personal gain by creating phony shell companies to file false tax returns meant to keep businesses afloat during the pandemic, federal prosecutors said.

Jason Toland, 43, who most recently lived in Wheatland and had clients in Yuba City, pleaded guilty to one count of submitting false claims against the United States related to COVID-19 pandemic tax credits after he attempted to steal more than $26.1 million through various tax programs, prosecutors said.

The defendant created fake trucking and technology companies to apply for myriad loans offered during the pandemic’s height, according to court documents. He was ultimately able to line his pockets with $1.9 million, according to prosecutors and the court documents.

“The defendant’s false claims targeted credits meant for real businesses suffering real consequences of the pandemic,” Phillip Talbert, the U.S. Attorney in Sacramento, said in a statement.

Toland, who was issued an insurance license in 2005, was “associated” with Rosemont-based Aon Risk Insurance Services West Inc. when the allegations arose, according to the California Department of Insurance. Investigators with the state regulator said Toland manipulated information on insurance applications that left commercial trucking companies underinsured, a release said.

The Department of Insurance revoked Toland’s license in January 2020, but he continued to conduct insurance transactions for seven months.