A former insurance agent was arraigned Thursday in Merced County Superior Court on felony financial elder abuse charges, according to the California Department of Insurance.
Shamron Briggs, 54, was arraigned on two felony counts of elder abuse after allegedly stealing insurance premiums from clients and failing to place proper funeral insurance coverage, according to a news release.
A plea of not guilty was entered for both charges.
The Department of Insurance investigation found Briggs had sold a funeral insurance policy to a 93-year-old client and collected $2,838 for the premium in December 2016.
According to the release, rather than remitting the entire amount to the insurance company for the policy, Briggs allegedly deposited the money into her personal bank account, making five quarterly payments to the insurance company totally $1,235.38.
The remaining $1,602.62 was never remitted by Briggs, according to the release, which resulted in the victim receiving a policy that was worth less than what they paid for.
The Department of Insurance said a second victim was identified during the investigation, and Briggs had allegedly employed the same type of scheme. Briggs allegedly sold an insurance policy to a 90-year-old client and collected $1,600 for the premium.
According to the release, Briggs again did not remit the premium to the insurance company and deposited the funds into her personal bank account to use for her personal benefit.
As a result, the Department of Insurance said the alleged victim was left without insurance coverage they had purchased.
Briggs’ insurance license was revoked by the Department of Insurance on Feb. 15 last year.
The case is being prosecuted by the Merced County District Attorney’s Office and Briggs is scheduled to appear in court Oct. 29.
According to the Department of Insurance, anyone who believes they have been victimized by Briggs or knows someone who has, is asked to call 661-253-7500.
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