INSURANCE AGENT CHARGED WITH INSURANCE FRAUD

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr., announced today the filing of criminal insurance fraud charges against Dorothy Faye Mortimer, 61, of Waldorf, Maryland. In a forty-four (44) count criminal indictment filed in the Circuit Court for Prince George's County, Mortimer was charged with misappropriation of insurance premiums, felony theft, exhibiting false documents about the affairs of insurers, acting as an insurance producer without being licensed to do so, and acting as an unregulated insurer. 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 indictment is merely an accusation of wrongdoing, and every individual is presumed innocent until the charges are proven by the State. No trial date has been set.

The charges allege that between the dates of October 26, 1999 and March 24, 2004 Mortimer misappropriated and stole over $130,000 in insurance premium payments by Matthews Memorial Baptist Church by accepting seventeen checks from the church during that time period that were intended to be insurance premium payments by the church. The charges also allege three allegations of exhibiting false documents certifying that insurance policies had been issued to the church. Additional allegations include that Mortimer acted in the capacity of an insurance producer on three occasions while not possessing a license to do so, and that she acted as an insurer on two occasions while not being authorized by the Maryland Insurance Commissioner to do so.

If convicted of misappropriation of premiums, Mortimer could be sentenced to serve 15 years in prison and fined $10,000. If convicted of felony theft, Mortimer could be sentenced to serve 15 years in prison and fined $1,000. If convicted of exhibiting false documents, acting as an unlicensed insurance producer or acting as an unregulated insurer, Mortimer could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison and fined up to $10,000.

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