CINCINNATI, July 26 -- The Western and Southern Financial Group, a life insurance company, issued the following news release:

As part of a multi-year commitment to fund the building of eight homes with Habitat for Humanity for Greater Cincinnati (HFHGC), Western & Southern Financial Group (Western & Southern) is kicking off the building of its fourth home on August 12 at 11 a.m. at 910 Voss Street, Cincinnati, OH 45205.

"Through our business and philanthropic endeavors, Western & Southern has formed partnerships to help secure individual self-reliance through programs that promote financial stability," said John F. Barrett, president, chairman and chief executive officer of Western & Southern. "Habitat is one of those partnerships, and we couldn't be more pleased to help this deserving family achieve their dream of homeownership."

The family includes parents Luis and Gabrielle Munoz and their seven sons. Two of the sons currently live separately from their parents because their current rental home is too small. Five of the boys suffer from Fabry's disease and struggle with medical problems as a result. Luis Munoz is employed through Ironworker Local 44 while Gabrielle Munoz is home raising their children. "We are always there for each other, and our motto is 'We are Team Munoz!'" said Luis Munoz.

In attendance at the kick-off celebration will be the Munoz family, Kim Chiodi, Western & Southern senior vice president of public relations and corporate communications, and Western & Southern associates who will be volunteering to help build the home.

"Habitat's vision to ensure that everyone has a decent, affordable place to live would not be possible without partners like Western & Southern," said Ed Lee, HFHGC president and chief executive officer. "We're grateful for a partnership that has provided critical volunteer and financial resources to build homes for eight Tristate families."

About Western & Southern Financial Group

Founded in Cincinnati in 1888 as The Western and Southern Life Insurance Company, Western & Southern Financial Group, Inc. (Western & Southern), a Fortune 500 company, is now the parent company of a group of diversified financial services businesses. Its assets owned ($45.5 billion) and managed ($22.3 billion) total $67.8 billion as of March 31, 2017. Western & Southern is one of the strongest life insurance groups in the world. Its six life insurance subsidiaries (The Western and Southern Life Insurance Company, Western-Southern Life Assurance Company, Columbus Life Insurance Company, Integrity Life Insurance Company, The Lafayette Life Insurance Company and National Integrity Life Insurance Company) maintain very strong financial ratings and a Comdex Ranking of 96. Other member companies include Eagle Realty Group, LLC; Fort Washington Investment Advisors, Inc.s; IFS Financial Services, Inc.; Peppertree Partners LLCs; Touchstone Advisors, Inc.s; Touchstone Securities, Inc.²; W&S Brokerage Services, Inc.²; and W&S Financial Group Distributors, Inc. For more information on the Western & Southern family of companies, visit www.westernsouthern.com. Western & Southern is the title sponsor of the Western & Southern Open (www.wsopen.com), a premier event in the U.S. Open Series played each August by the world's top-ranked professional male and female tennis players.

s A registered investment advisor.

² A registered broker-dealer and member FINRA/SIPC.

For current ratings, please visit http://www.westernsouthern.com/industry.asp.

About Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati (http://habitatcincinnati.org/) is a non-profit Christian housing ministry that seeks to build strength, stability, and self-reliance through shelter. Since 1986, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati has built, renovated, or repaired more than 595 homes throughout a nine-county region including Hamilton, Butler, Clermont and Warren counties in Ohio; Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties in Kentucky; and Dearborn and Ohio counties in Indiana. It has also contributed to building 862 homes globally in Armenia, Cambodia, El Salvador, and Kenya. Habitat is dedicated both locally and globally to construct, rehabilitate and preserve homes; advocate for fair and just housing policies; and provide training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions.

A Prince George’s County grand jury on Tuesday indicted Corrie Alston, 51, of Bowie, on charges of a felony theft scheme and insurance fraud for submitting multiple fraudulent life insurance applications, Attorney General Anthony G. Brown said.

The indictment includes one count of a felony theft scheme of $1,500 to $25,000 and 21 counts of felony insurance fraud over $300. The investigation was led by the attorney general’s Fraud and Corruption Unit and the Maryland Insurance Administration.

“Corrie Alston allegedly submitted dozens of fraudulent insurance applications, deliberately using Hispanic surnames because he believed assumptions about undocumented immigrants would shield him from scrutiny,” Brown said in a news release. “Our Office will not allow insurance agents to employ appalling, cynical schemes that exploit the identities and dignity of vulnerable communities.”

An attorney listed for Alston could not immediately be reached for comment.

Alston, while employed as an information technology specialist for the federal government, also worked as a licensed Maryland insurance agent for the Don Pope Insurance Agency, according to the attorney general, selling policies for Senior Life Insurance Company. The investigation revealed that Alston submitted 21 applications for fictitious individuals to receive commissions on these fraudulent policies.

In an interview with investigators, Alston allegedly admitted that he deliberately chose Hispanic surnames because he believed Senior Life would conclude they were undocumented individuals and not attempt to further verify the Social Security Numbers that he had provided in the applications, according to the release. In total, prosecutors allege that Alston stole about $5,122 in commission payments from Senior Life Insurance Company for false applications.

Have a news tip? Contact Karl Hille at 443-900-7891 or [email protected].

©2026 Baltimore Sun. Visit baltimoresun.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.