Man pleads guilty to defrauding dozens of Miami Valley residents by stealing identities

WHIO Staff
·2 min read

A former insurance agent plead guilty to defrauding Miami Valley and Cincinnati customers, and the federal government.

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Seneca Birchmore, 45, of Cincinnati, lost his license as an insurance agent in 2019 after applying unauthorized policies to customers’ plans in order to collect commissions, a spokesperson for the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio stated.

While he was an agent, he collected more than $8,000 in fraudulent commissions.

However, after he lost his license, he continued to apply fraudulent policies by stealing the identities of two other insurance agents to continue getting commissions.

“Birchmore had the commissions from dozens of local customer victims deposited into his own bank accounts,” the spokesperson said.

He received over $93,000 in commissions during this time.

Local law enforcements were alerted after victims began to complain about money automatically being withdrawn from their bank accounts for insurance policies that were never ordered, the spokesperson informed.

Many of the victims were senior citizens residing in Dayton, Englewood, Middletown, and Cincinnati.

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In another fraudulent case, Birchmore obtained two COVID Paycheck Protection Program loans totaling over $40,000.

He reported that he owned a business and stated his gross income in 2019 was more than $13 million when neither were true.

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Birchmore agreed to pay the following restitutions as a part of his guilty plea:

  • Americo Financial Life and Annuity Insurance Company: $34,820.37

  • Columbian Life Insurance Company: $16,604.01

  • Transamerica Life Insurance Company: $4,671

  • Mutual of Omaha: $2,104.65

  • Great Western Insurance Company: $16,303.17

  • Aetna Health and Life Insurance Company: $8,826.84

  • American General Life Insurance Company: $158.82

  • Guarantee Trust Life Insurance Company: $17,906.07

  • U.S. Small Business Administration: $41,665

The defendant may face at least two years in prison for the crimes.