Former Orange County insurance agent arraigned on
40 felony counts of grand theft
ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Anna Gabriela Garcia, also known as Anna Nuno-Garcia, 46, of Capistrano Beach, was arraigned and charged with 40 felony counts of grand theft after allegedly collecting premium payments from customers and diverting the funds of over $195,000 for personal use.
Garcia, a former licensed insurance agent, while working for an independently owned State Farm agency from September 2011 to November 2014 embezzled more than 300 checks totaling $195,626 by altering, endorsing or depositing them into her personal bank accounts. These checks were for payment of the insureds’ insurance premiums or were premium refunds for the policyholder.
“Garcia’s alleged crimes are an example of why insurance fraud is not a victimless crime,” said Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. “In order to line her own pockets, Garcia allegedly took advantage of people who trusted her and put those people at risk of economic loss by failing to place insurance coverage intended to protect them.”
Garcia allegedly failed to place coverage for personal and commercial automobile insurance causing cancellation of DMV registrations and exposing customers and others on the road to the risk of economic loss. Garcia also allegedly failed to place a life insurance policy and at least 17 homeowner and renter’s policies.
To conceal the embezzlement of diverted premium checks into her personal bank account, Garcia allegedly made 57 unauthorized ACH debits from one State Farm insured’s bank account to pay the premiums of others unknown to that insured. She also allegedly made unauthorized charges to multiple customers’ credit cards to pay the premiums of unrelated others’ State Farm policies.
Garcia allegedly used cash payments from some clients to purchase money orders to pay premiums for other clients and set up policyholders on unauthorized State Farm installment payment plans. Garcia also misdirected customer billings, statements, and refunds to incorrect addresses, some of which were her own or Post Office boxes she had access to. Victims included extended family members and elderly State Farm customers.
