CEDAR RAPIDS – A woman who defrauded two insurance companies out of more than $170,000 in sales commissions pled guilty last week in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Melissa Ilene Williams, age 46, from Dike, Iowa, was convicted of one count of mail fraud.
In a plea agreement, Williams admitted that, between about July 2011 and January 2012, while working as an insurance policy salesperson, she fraudulently obtained advanced sales commissions from two insurance companies. Williams admitted she obtained the commissions by submitting fabricated life insurance applications to the companies in the names of persons who had not authorized and were unaware of the applications. Williams admitted she secretly paid the initial premiums on the policies so that the insurance companies would not discover the applications were fraudulent. Williams admitted she fraudulently obtained a total of $170,292.52 in advance commissions from the insurance companies.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Williams remains free on bond pending sentencing. Williams faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a fine equal to the greater of twice the gross gain resulting from the offense, twice the gross loss resulting from the offense, or $250,000, a $100 special assessment, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
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