Deseret News | Ex-insurance agency owner jailed for racketeering

Reader comments
Ex-insurance agency owner jailed for racketeering

Hero of Canton | 11:41 a.m. June 30, 2008

As a recently minted Insurance Agent for one of the 'Big 3' and someone who is trying to build his book of business, it is disheartening to read something like this. An Insurance Agent has a fiduciary responsibility to the public and when someone does this, it drastically hurts the honest ones like me and my colleagues. As important as insurance can be to restoring a family and keeping them out of bankruptcy, this person should be dealt with to the full extent of the law.

jr | 11:55 a.m. June 30, 2008

Maybe a few more should be investigated, might fill the jails up - I doubt he is alone in his actions

wingnut | 12:54 p.m. June 30, 2008

Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. I can't believe that the defense attorny was asking that his client just wear an ankle bracelet for a year for 100+ federal counts. Unreal.

Comments continue below

It is Wrong | 2:08 p.m. June 30, 2008

It is interesting how the Big Fish get let go while many of the Little Fish suffer. Justice should be blind to big money & individuals that cross the line should all have just consequences dealt to them in kind. He should spend time in the cell with Bubba for a while.

Grover | 2:20 p.m. June 30, 2008

He would go bankrupt over the loss of his alfalfa crop?? Check the size of the frauds and the toys purchased and tell me if that sounds like anything other than attorney blather. Maybe the attorney had agreed to the proceeds from the crop for his fee for defending this creep.

Anonymous | 3:55 p.m. June 30, 2008

the inconsistencies in sentencing is what makes me angry. with that many counts against him and the amount he is alleged to have spent... he should have been sentenced to prison not jail and would have done a least 6 to 10 years ... I know a gal out of Cache Valley who was senteced to prison for embezzeling 25,000 from her boss. She used it for medical expenses her insurance didnt cover because she is on dialysis ( I am not excusing her actions just pointing out the problems withthe courts ) and she was sentenced on four second degree felonies
( 1- 15 years ) the Parole Board gave her 4 years to serve ! SIngle Mother with one son,with life threatening medical issues, sole provider... but no alfalfa crops to worry about, maybe thats the difference. This guy probably doesnt have a clue how LUCKY he got with this judge -

Anonymous | 5:05 p.m. June 30, 2008

If the judge was smart, he would have confiscated the alphalfa to pay the victims.

Observer from Vernal | 5:48 p.m. June 30, 2008

Yes, how sad that this would make him go into bankruptcy. If you could only see what is parked in his driveway, the home he is building, the items purchased for his "friend", and probably so many more examples. He deserves so much more. We all should be able to trust our insurance agents!

Crock | 6:00 p.m. June 30, 2008

How can he be "sentenced to serve 11 prison terms of one to 15 years and four prison terms of zero to five years for 15 felonies" and then get a slap on the wrist for 6 months jail time? The ammount of money he has stashed away is just a drop in the bucket for restitution charges and the hay crop is just a tax write off.... come on we are not stupid.

H Waite | 6:52 p.m. June 30, 2008

Our Tax dollars hard at work, $104,000 dollars in investigation fee's and so little time????
Nice

Ken Goddard | 7:24 p.m. June 30, 2008

The crook got off pretty light I'd say.

family tradition | 9:56 a.m. July 1, 2008

It is unimagiable to me that a person who grew up in that valley as did his family for many years back would lie, cheat, and steal from is friends and neighbors. Does he even think about what his wife and children have to live with everyday? If his wife is smart she'll use the 6 months to get out of that marriage. Timothy brings shame to an honorable profession. Prison is easier time than jail but that is where he belongs.

Angie | 7:51 p.m. July 2, 2008

Come on, lets all find something more to do with our time. This person has children, grandchildren whom have to deal with this...... We all make mistakes at some point, and who has the judgement to decide which are worse than others????? What if someone could report everything You have done in your life????? There is one MAN who has been perfect in his lifetime, and I recall him laying his life down for our sins...... EVERYONES mistakes. We all need to give someone else another chance.

Add your comment

Comments are monitored. Any comments found to be abusive, offensive, off-topic, misrepresentative, more than 200 words or containing URLs will not be posted.

Words Remaining

E-mail address: For internal use only. We may want to contact you to publish your comment (not your e-mail address) in the newspaper or for a separate story idea.