Pennsylvania Attorney General Announces Prison Term For Former Bucks County Insurance Broker

November 26, 2007 -- HARRISBURG - A former Bucks County, Pennsylvania insurance broker has been sentenced to 11 ½ to 23 months in prison with seven years consecutive probation and ordered to pay more than $1 million in restitution after pleading guilty to charges of defrauding four premium finance companies and the state's bureau of unemployment compensation

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett said the defendant, Thomas Hurd, 50, 3831 Red Line Road, Philadelphia, was arrested on May 9, 2007, following an investigation by the Attorney General's Insurance Fraud Section. Hurd was a licensed insurance agent and president of the Thomas Hurd Insurance Agency and Hurd Insurance Associates located in Bensalem.

Corbett said that Hurd was charged with submitting false and misleading information to premium finance companies and secured financing for insurance policies that did not exist or for insurance policies that were obtained and prematurely canceled.

Hurd was also accused of placing five of his employees on unemployment, to help offset his salary expenditures. During that time period, Hurd reduced their salaries and had the difference made up for in unemployment compensation.

Corbett said that Hurd was sentenced in Bucks County by Judge Cepparulo after pleading guilty to four counts theft by failure to make required disposition of funds, one count of insurance fraud and one count theft by deception.

Hurd was immediately taken into custody following his sentencing and is currently incarcerated in the Bucks County Correctional Facility.

Hurd was prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Gregg Shore of the Attorney General's Insurance Fraud Section.

Source: Pennsylvania Attorney General