MAN ARRESTED AFTER $120,000 SCAM

An insurance scam that cost a Cape Girardeau woman nearly $120,000 over five years ended with the arrest of a 31-year-old man, police said.

William Glynn Robison, who was living in Fenton, Mo., was arrested by Jefferson County deputies Tuesday on a Cape Girardeau County warrant accusing him of stealing by deceit.

"The sad thing is, this was probably this woman's life savings," Cape Girardeau police Cpl. Rick Schmidt said.

Robison became acquainted with the 79-year-old victim when her husband died in 1996, police detective David Sanders said in a court document. An insurance agent, Robison sold the woman a burial insurance policy to pay for funeral arrangements when she died.

He continued to make more business propositions to her, leading up to an investment of $84,201 in March 1999 in Robison Insurance Agency Inc., which Robison owned. With the investment, Robison promised a higher rate of return.

Robison spent time becoming acquainted with her and her family during the three years prior in order to gain her trust, Sanders said.

"She was assured her money was safe," he said.

Robison had made some payments to the victim under terms of a contract, but as time passed the payments became irregular, the amounts shrunk and the checks finally stopped.

Investigations showed that Robison never invested her money, police said.

"Instead, the majority of the money was spent for Robison's personal use within two months of his having received it," Sanders said.

Robison is charged with a class C felony punishable by a maximum of five years in prison. He was being held Thursday in the Cape Girardeau County jail in lieu of a $100,000 bond.

Insurance fraud rare

Cases of insurance fraud are rarely reported in Cape Girardeau, Schmidt said. "Sometimes they go straight to the insurance companies and we never hear about it," he said.

Construction schemes, when homeowners are asked to pay large amounts of money for substandard work, are more commonly reported.

With a highly competitive insurance market and declining commissions, it is not uncommon for agents to sell investment prospects without a license, said Randy McConnell, spokesman for the Missouri Department of Insurance.

Even agents with longtime clients aren't immune to misrepresenting their credentials, McConnell said.

"Typically, an older person will fall back on old relations," he said. "It doesn't hurt to check them out periodically."

The Department of Insurance offers information to consumers about licensed agents in the state, but few are interested.

"Our Web site gets about a million hits a year," McConnell said. "For a state the size of Missouri, that's not much."

INSURANCE INFORMATION

The Missouri Department of Insurance offers a toll-free number and Internet site that make available the following information about insurance agents:

* Kind of licenses

* Home and business addresses

* Companies represented

* Complaint history

Consumers may call 1-800-726-7390 or go to the Internet at www.insurance.state.mo.us

Source: Missouri Department of Insurance