STATEWIDE GRAND JURY INDICTS INSURANCE BROKER FOR FRAUD AND THEFT

The following information was released by the office of the Colorado Attorney General:

The statewide grand jury indicted George Gonzalez, 55, of Denver on 14 counts for allegedly diverting thousands of dollars in insurance premium payments instead of sending them to insurance companies as required by law, Attorney General Phil Weiser announced today.

"When a licensed agent sells an insurance policy to customers, they are required by law to hold premium funds collected in a fiduciary account and then remit all premium funds to the insurer. Insurance fraud is a serious crime that affects all consumers. Those who attempt to engage in insurance fraud will be held to account," said Attorney General Weiser. "We are encouraging anyone who made payments to Amerimex Insurance Agency for insurance from 2023 to 2026 to contact our office."

Gonzalez is a licensed agent and owns Amerimex Insurance, LLC, an insurance broker affiliated with Premier Group Insurance with locations in Aurora, Brighton, and Denver. According to the indictment, Gonzalez and Amerimex contracted directly with Pinnacol Assurance to sell workers compensation insurance to businesses. Through its investigation, Pinnacol identified eight policies created between February 28, 2022 and January 8, 2024, in which Gonzalez collected premium funds for workers compensation policies but did not remit all the funds to Pinnacol. In total, the amount of money paid by insured customers intended for Pinnacol Assurance but diverted by Gonzalez was at least $2,949.39, according to court documents.

Pinnacol reported Gonzalez and Amerimex to the Financial Fraud Unit in the Criminal Justice Section of the Colorado Department of Law in January 2024. A state investigation and review of business and bank records showed that Gonzalez diverted premium funds paid by customers from at least eight additional insurance companies. The premium funds intended for these eight insurance companies diverted by Gonzalez amounted to $97,233.71. Gonzalez does not contract directly with these eight insurance companies and instead contracts with Premier Group to sell the policies and receives commissions through Premier Group.

The fiduciary account in which premium funds were held was a Chase Bank account with Gonzalez listed as the owner.

Gonzalez is charged with nine counts of insurance fraud, a class 5 felony, one count of class 5 felony theft, and four counts of class 4 felony theft. The case is filed in Denver District Court, and the case number is 26CR15031.

Customers who made a payment to Amerimex Insurance Agency for insurance from 2023-2026 and believe that their payment may have been more than what was paid to their insurance company, are encouraged to contact the Colorado Attorney General's Office at [email protected].

A grand jury indictment is a formal accusation that an individual committed a crime under Colorado laws. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.