Less than a month after Stonetrust Commercial Insurance anno
unced it had expanded into North Carolina, the workers’ compensation carri
er has added South Carolina to its sphere of influence.
Based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Stonetrust now writes workers’ com
p and employers liability in 14 states, the company said in a news release. It is now accepting submissions from appointed indepen
dent insurance agencies for accounts in South Carolina, with an effective dat
e of Jan. 15. Stonetrust pays 25% commission on new business in 2026.
Agencies interested in a Stonetrust appointment can inquire by clicking on the agent portal on the Stonetrust website. Stone
trust was founded in 1993 as a self-insurance fund. Michael Dileo is CEO.
And Amw
ins, a wholesale distributor of specialty insurance products, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, announced it has added Rick
smith Lawyers Professional Liability to its portfolio of products. Ricksmith was launched in 2023 and has been led by John Muller.
The coverage will be part of Amwins Program Underwriters and w
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ill expand Amwins’ excess and quota-share placements, the company said.
Dafud Iza, formerly vice president of Fiorella Insurance Agency, in Stuart, pleaded guilty in April to the scheme that paid low-in
come people $5 to $10 to sign up for ACA. Iza and co-conspirators gain
ed commissions on the enrollments, but they knew that the would-be bene
ficiaries were not eligible and were unlikely to pay the federal health care plan’s premiums, prosecutors have said.
The plan defrauded the ACA program of $134 million.
Prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum that Iza could have faced more years in prison under federal sentencing guid
elines. But because he accepted responsibility, pleaded guilty and provided infor
mation about others involved, a 35-month sentence is appropriate, the U.S. Attorney’s office said. The judge agreed.