“When an insurance broker fails to submit a client’s money to pay premiums for insurance coverage, that broker is putting individuals and/or corporations at risk for financial harm.  When California Department of Insurance investigators discover theft of money by someone in the insurance industry, they then work with local district attorneys to assist in the prosecution and possible restitution.” – CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

SAN FRANCISCO— On July 13, 2023, Christopher Ramos, 45, of Santa Rosa, was sentenced to four years in prison followed by five years of mandatory supervision after an investigation by the California Department of Insurance (CDI) found he stole more than $189,000 from his clients and left them uninsured. Ramos was convicted of multiple felony counts of grand theft, theft of fiduciary funds and additional enhancements for theft over $100,000.00. He was also ordered to pay 4 years in $189,526 in restitution to his victims.

According to CDI, Ramos worked as an insurance broker from 1999 until 2015 under the business names See Solutions Insurance Brokerage LLC and CDR Insurance Agency LLC. CDI’s investigation found between 2014 and 2016, Ramos collected money from his victims that was intended to be premiums to pay their respective insurance carriers, but Ramos failed to remit the money to the insurance carrier and kept it for his personal use.

Ramos also created fraudulent certificates of insurance so his victims would be unaware that policies were not placed with insurance carriers. His actions resulted in the victims’ policies being cancelled, which they did not discover until the investigation began.

Sonoma County District Attorney Carla Rodriguez stated, “Mr. Ramos took advantage of his position as a licensed insurance broker and used the trust his clients gave him based on his position to take their money to pay for his personal expenses and support his lifestyle. Worse, Mr. Ramos was already on probation in San Francisco County for engaging in the same fraud there. The court held Mr. Ramos accountable for his actions with this sentence, which includes an order to pay restitution to all his Sonoma County victims.”

Ramos’ insurance license was suspended and eventually revoked in 2019. The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case.