BAKERSFIELD — 38-year-old Valerie Ann Verdugo is scheduled for arraignment today on felony insurance fraud charges for obtaining insurance coverage without paying for the policies.
Verdugo, who worked as a licensed agent, turned herself in to Kern County authorities and was booked on one felony count of grand theft and one of embezzlement. A Department of Insurance investigation uncovered evidence that Verdugo would allow her own personal auto and homeowner policies to lapse when premiums came due, then simply write a new policy with small changes to avoid detection by auditors. This was repeated several times over the course of more than a decade.
Evidence revealed that Verdugo had done the same for a number of friends and family, and a total of more than 70 policies had been allowed to lapse before being rewritten. Investigators say that not only had the schemes provided her coverage for which she did not pay, but cost Farmers Insurance more than $11,000 in uncollected premiums.
Verdugo’s license has been suspended as of April 16, 2016. The Kern County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting this case.
