A Rochester insurance broker has been sentenced to prison for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Brian Bartz, 39, was sentenced to five years and ten months after admitting to using people’s names and social security numbers to submit fraudulent policy applications.
In total he applied and got $382,740.63 in commissions and bonuses he didn’t earn.
He also admitted to withdrawing $70,579.83 from clients bank accounts to pay for the policy premiums on the fraudulent policies.
He also lied and told people he was an investment advisor then used funds they gave him to invest for gambling or paying off past investors. He also provided fake statements to anyone inquiring about their investments.
One woman, a widow, wanted to invest $332,500 of her husband’s life insurance payment, and Bartz stole $10,000.
It’s estimated he’s stolen in total $1,026,668.46 from various life insurance companies from Jan. 2015 to Jan. 2020.
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