A former insurance agent has been charged with pocketing more than $100,000 of premiums.
Andre De Gazon, 56, of Bellflower, was arraigned this week in Orange County Superior Court on multiple felony counts of grand theft and embezzlement after all
egedly using his license to pocket more than $100,000 of unremitted insurance policy premiums from victims.
An investigation by the California Department of Insurance was reportedly launched aft
er a complaint was filed by one of De Gazon’s victims. The brokerag
e became aware of a problem when the managing general agent for their insurance carrier notified them that their premium payment was never forwarded.
De Gazon was a licensed insurance agent and owner of Liability Risk Management & Insurance Services Inc., which specialized in locating professional liability pol
icies for clients, or the clients of other retail brokers, with insurance carriers.
Between June 2022 and October 2023, Liability Risk Management accepted $105,816 in pre
miums from victims and failed to remit those premiums directly to insurance carriers, according to investigators.
Investigators say De Gazon failed to remit the full amount of premiums owed to insurers, putting put customers at risk of losing their coverage. The victims wer
e forced to pay the carrier directly to maintain their coverage, resulting in double payments for coverage. The premiums pocketed by De Gazon were not recovered, according to the CDI.
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De Gazon was arrested at his home on January 29 by fraud enforcement agents. De Ga
zon’s insurance license expired in 2024. The case is being prosecuted by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.