A former Illinois Democrat state senator is in hot water for allegedly submitting false insurance policies after leaving her position and starting a career selling insurance.
Federal prosecutors on Friday accused Annazette Collins of submitting the policies for individuals who did not request them or were not even real people, the Chicago Sun-Times reported, noting officials have so far not filed criminal charges against her regarding the allegations.
An image shows the woman in question:
Former state Sen. Annazette Collins was caught submitting false insurance policies for people who did not apply for them or “did not exist” after leaving the state legislature and taking a job selling insurance, federal prosecutors disclosed Friday. https://t.co/RJmw2tgZaM
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) February 9, 2024
“Those policies were tied to bank accounts controlled either by Collins or her daughter, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Parthum told a judge,” the outlet said.
Collins recently said she would testify for allegedly evading almost $100,000 in taxes.
“Prosecutors had previously disclosed Collins was fired from her job at American Income Life Insurance, but they said they would not seek to disclose the reason unless she decided to take the stand,” the Sun-Times report said, noting she was later fired from her position as an insurance agent with the company for allegedly violating its policies.
Jurors were permitted to hear about the allegations if she decided to take the stand, but she apparently decided against it.
A verdict was not reached on Friday afternoon. Therefore, jurors plan to come back on Monday.
The Sun-Times report also said, “Federal investigations have swirled around Collins for years. Her name surfaced in two separate corruption trials last year, including the trial of four political insiders convicted of a nearly decade-long conspiracy to bribe former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to benefit ComEd.”
According to her profile on the Illinois General Assembly website, Collins’ biography reads:
Served as an Administrator for the Chicago School Board. Previously served in the Department of Children and Family Services, the Cook County Probation Department, and as a Prison Correctional Officer. Received her bachelor degree in Sociology from Chicago State University and received an M.S. in Criminal Justice and has completed further graduate work in counseling from Chicago State University. Lives on Chicago’s West Side with her husband Keith Langston and daughters Angelique Nicole and Taylor Kourtnie.
According to National Association of Insurance Commissioners, “Insurance fraud occurs when an insurance company, agent, adjuster or consumer commits a deliberate deception in order to obtain an illegitimate gain.”
It is possible for such fraud to occur when someone is buying, using, selling, or underwriting insurance, the group said, noting fraud also hurts the financial situations of consumers and businesses.
Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) website says, “The insurance industry consists of more than 7,000 companies that collect over $1 trillion in premiums each year.”
“The massive size of the industry contributes significantly to the cost of insurance fraud by providing more opportunities and bigger incentives for committing illegal activities,” the site stated.
