Gaithersburg Man Sentenced for Insurance Fraud

BALTIMORE, MD (May 19, 2009) – Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today that Michael Elhawa, 39, of Gaithersburg, was sentenced today in Baltimore County Circuit Court on one count of felony insurance fraud. Judge John Grason Turnbull sentenced Elhawa to six months home detention and ordered him to pay $41,193 in restitution.

From November 2006 through February 2007, Elhawa stole approximately $50,000 from Premium Finance of America, Inc (PFA). Elhawa, who was an insurance agent representing PFA at the time, used blank Premium Finance checks to fabricate payments and then deposited the monies into his own bank accounts. He created fake Premium Finance accounts to conceal the fraud.

Elhawa pled guilty on March 2, 2009. The plea and conviction follow a joint investigation by the Insurance Fraud Division of the Maryland Insurance Administration and the Office of the Attorney General. In making today’s announcement, Attorney General Gansler thanked Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Harris for prosecuting the case.