FORMER INSURANCE CO. EMPLOYEE CHARGED WITH THEFT

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr., announced today the filing of criminal theft charges against Chinetta Coles, 30, of Woodlawn. In a 52-count indictment filed in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County, Coles was charged with stealing $110,983.97 from her employer, State Farm Insurance.

The charges allege that from August 1998 through March 2001, Coles drafted 51 State Farm checks and deposited them into her account.

If convicted of theft, Coles could be sentenced to serve 15 years in prison and fined $1,000.

The indictment follows a joint investigation conducted by the Insurance Fraud Division of the Maryland Insurance Administration and the Office of the Attorney General. An indictment is an accusation of wrongdoing, and every individual is presumed innocent until the charges are proven by the State. No trial date has been set.

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