A former insurance agent from Warner Robins, Georgia, has been sentenced to federal prison for bank fraud after redirecting a customer’s premium payments for his own benefit. Jeremy Lasseter, 44, of Perry, was ordered to serve 27 months in prison and pay $221,515.16 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell on November 19. Lasseter pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud in August.
Lasseter previously owned an Alfa Insurance Agency group and had been named Alfa’s Georgia “Insurance Agent of the Year” for four consecutive years. According to court documents, beginning in March 2020, Lasseter instructed a customer to make premium payments that he then diverted to cover other customers’ premiums without her knowledge or consent. Sometimes he told the victim to write checks directly to him or provide cash, claiming it was preferable for tax reasons.
The government maintains that Lasseter committed the fraud in order to secure another “Insurance Agent of the Year” award and its associated benefits.
“The money taken from the victim has had a significant negative impact on her life. The defendant must be held accountable for defrauding her and abusing the trust placed in him by Alfa Insurance,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “This is not a victimless crime; such schemes will not be tolerated in the Middle District of Georgia.”
“Lasseter’s actions undermined the integrity of the insurance industry and his deliberate scheme to redirect premium payments for his own gain is a clear violation of the law and a betrayal of the victim’s trust,” said Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI remains committed to holding individuals accountable who exploit others for personal benefit.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Howard.
