Franklin insurance agent sentenced to prison for defrauding elderly client
January 28, 2017 by Ray Howze
A Franklin-based insurance agent has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for defrauding more than $100,000 from an elderly client.
Scott Rolin, 56, of Franklin, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. on Friday to the 18-month prison term along with three years of supervised release for his role in selling annuity policies to a client in 2010.
Rolin pleaded guilty to the charges in October and admitted to making unauthorized withdrawals from annuity policies of the client without them knowing and without permission between 2011 and 2015.
According to Friday’s news release from U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee David Rivera’s office, Rolin sold two separate annuity policies worth more than $175,000 to one of his existing clients.
“The evidence also established that Rolin took numerous steps to engender the victim’s trust, including visiting her home, attending family events, referring to her as “mother” and sending her Mother’s Day cards,” the release stated.
Between 2011 and 2015, Rolin admitted to making “numerous withdrawals from the victim’s account without her knowledge or authorization.” Rolin then sent the fraudulent disbursement requests to the company that issued the annuity policy, forged the victim’s signature on checks and deposited the money for his personal use, according to the release.
Rolin stole more than $100,000 from the client, the release stated.
Reach Ray Howze at rhowze@tennessean.com or 616-664-2251 or on Twitter @rayhowze1.
