Beltsville Woman Convicted of Theft Scheme

BALTIMORE, MD ( October 14, 2009) - Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced today that Shironda Aretha Jones, 32, of Beltsville, pleaded guilty to a single count of felony theft scheme over $500. Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Martin Welch sentenced Jones to a suspended term of three years, five years supervised probation, and 40 hours of community service. She was also ordered to pay $16,033.07 in restitution to Nationwide Insurance Company.

From September 2006 until September 2007, while she was employed as a claims adjustor for Nationwide Insurance, Jones wrote checks to herself as the payee and endorsed and deposited these checks into her own accounts. She fraudulently indicated that these checks were written on legitimate claims.

The conviction follows 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 Roberta G. Siskind for prosecuting the case.