Former Fla. Agent Nabbed for Alleged $180,000 Theft

A Florida man banned from the state’s insurance industry was charged with organized fraud and grand theft, according to investigators with Florida’s Division of Insurance Fraud.

Anthony Michael Pascale, of Hollywood, Fla., was arrested on allegations that from May 2002 through April 2003, he misappropriated more than 1,200 premium checks paid to his father’s insurance agency, Auto Insurance America, in Ft. Lauderdale. During that time, the insurance checks were allegedly deposited into a personal account, totaling more than $180,000. Pascale’s father, John Pascale, is cooperating with investigators.

Pascale was employed at Auto Insurance American despite having been banned from the insurance industry in 2000. The action followed an arrest and conviction for stealing premiums. In January of 2000, Pascale was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to pay restitution.

If convicted on the charges, Pascale faces up to 60 years in prison. He was booked into the Broward County jail, where he will remain pending posting of bond.

Topics Fraud Agencies