HOWARD INSURANCE AGENT CHARGED WITH INSURANCE FRAUD

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr., announced today the filing of criminal insurance fraud charges against Burke Allen Walker, 45, of Ellicott City, Maryland. Walker was charged with misappropriation of insurance premiums in a one count criminal information filed in the Circuit Court for Howard County. It is alleged that between the dates of October 16, 2000 and May 3, 2001 Walker misappropriated $556,981.25 in insurance premiums belonging to Gerling NCM Credit Insurance, Inc. A trial date of August 14, 2002 has been set.

If convicted of insurance fraud, Walker could be sentenced to serve 15 years in prison and fined $10,000.

The indictments follow a joint investigation conducted by the Insurance Fraud Division of the Maryland Insurance Administration and the Office of the Attorney General. A criminal information is merely an accusation of wrongdoing, and every individual is presumed innocent until the charges are proven by the State.

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