Southcentral Pa. insurance contractor accused of trying to defraud 11 clients

A former independent insurance contractor has been charged after she filed applications without the client's consent, quoted them a lower price than the actual premium or offered them a higher policy than they received, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office.

And in one case, a Chambersburg man was left with no life insurance at all.

In turn, she received $4,116 in bonuses and advancements for the work, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

Aleisha Marie Sampson, 31, of the 700 block of West Princess Street, York, was charged on June 16 with intent to defraud insurance, identity theft, theft by deception and forgery. She is out on $25,000 bail, according to court records.

Neither she nor her attorney, Korey Leslie, could be reached for comment. 

In February 2017, American Income Life Insurance notified the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance that it had terminated Sampson because she'd made misrepresentations regarding life insurance policy applications, the affidavit states.

She was licensed with the state as an individual resident producer and was an independent contractor affiliated with the company, investigators said. Her business address was in Hanover.

Investigators determined that Sampson fraudulently obtained and submitted 11 applications to the insurance company between June 29, 2016, and Jan. 5, 2017, the 15-page affidavit states.

The clients lived in various locations in southcentral Pennsylvania and beyond.

Some complained directly to American Income Life Insurance that Sampson had submitted applications without their approval.

Joseph Consevage, of Mount Carmel, Northumberland County, said Sampson submitted an application for a $10,000 life insurance policy without his wife's knowledge or consent in October 2016. The couple became aware of it after their bill included a higher premium than they paid in the past. He told the insurance company, "We didn't want the policy in the first place," the affidavit states.

Other clients had agreed to make changes or buy new policies but noticed that the insurance company was charging them higher premiums than what Sampson had told them, investigators said.

Debra Fogel, of Nazareth, Northampton County, called Sampson after reviewing a policy her husband agreed to buy and noticed it had a higher monthly premium. Sampson assured her that it cost $96.72 and said she "must have pressed too hard on the carbon paper" and the $110.37 bled through over the $96.72, the affidavit states.

However, the insurance company charged the Fogels the higher price.

The clients called the insurance company directly, canceled the policies and received refunds.

Chambersburg man left without life insurance

One client told the investigator that he was left without any life insurance coverage.

Kirk Kennedy, of Chambersburg, said Sampson introduced him to a $100,000 policy. She explained that his current policies would roll into his new premium. He agreed to cancel them and buy the new policy, the affidavit states.

But when he received a copy, it did not reflect what he and Sampson had agreed to on Aug. 23, 2016, the affidavit states. His existing policies were not consolidated into the new one, which was only written for $5,000. 

Kennedy called American Income Life Insurance to complain about the decrease in coverage and the increase in the premium. He canceled the policy and received a refund.

He told the investigator that because he had canceled his existing life policies, "he was left without any life insurance coverage," the affidavit states.

His wife, Patricia, also had agreed to buy a $30,000 whole life insurance policy, but when she received a copy of it, the policy only reflected $5,000 worth of coverage. The premium also was higher than what Sampson had told her, the affidavit states. 

She, too, canceled the policy and received a refund.

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Applications submitted without consent

Debra Trask, of Hanover, told the investigator that Sampson submitted an application for a $20,000 whole life policy without her authorization.

Sampson introduced Trask to the whole life policy during a phone call on June 29, 2016, about her and her husband's existing policies. Sampson told her that she wouldn't have to pay a premium.

The insurance company later called to get feedback about her recent purchase of the policy. Trask informed the company that she had not given consent for the application to be submitted.

She canceled the policy that Sampson submitted and obtained a whole life policy from a different person.

Another client, Dennis Burns, of Chambersburg, told an investigator that Sampson also submitted an application for a $12,000 whole life policy without his permission.

He had partially completed an application but declined to sign it on Oct. 11, 2016, the affidavit states. Sampson told him that she would call him back to confirm whether he wanted to proceed with it. She never called but submitted the application, anyway.

He noticed an increase in the cost from the insurance company. He, too, canceled the policy and received a refund.

Client was living on a fixed income

Donna Burns, of Chambersburg, told an investigator that Sampson met with her in December 2016 to discuss her existing insurance policies. Sampson told her that she could purchase an additional $15,000 policy and her premium only would increase by $2 a month. Burns, who was living on a fixed income, agreed to buy it.

But a few days later, Burns noticed that the payment withdrawn from her bank account was nearly $60 higher than what Sampson had told her, the affidavit states. Burns called the insurance company directly after leaving several voicemail messages for Sampson. 

An insurance representative explained to Burns that the higher amount was because of the additional policy she had purchased. Burns told the representative that Sampson never explained the higher cost to her.

Burns canceled the new policy and received a refund.