Officials: Gwinnett County man steals thousands in fake insurance scam
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Officials have arrested a Gwinnett County man who accused of lying about being an insurance agent to trick clients into buying fake coverage.
The Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation’s Enforcement Division says the year-long investigation ended with the arrest of 50-year-old Fernando Jose Cuellar Membreno.
According to investigators, Membreno operated using multiple business names including HSR Insurance, LLC, All Nations, Inc., All Saints Insurance, Inc., Sub-Contractors of the South, Inc., Platoon Builders Corp., Tax Center of Gainesville, LLC, and Tax Center Buford, Inc.
All the businesses were operated out of one building on the 4100 block of South Lee Street in Buford, Georgia.
Investigators began looking into Membreno after they received complaints in March of 2020 that he was issuing fraudulent insurance certificates.
Officials say Membreno would trick customers into thinking that they had bought legitimate workers' compensation insurance, but they were actually uninsured and just supplying him payments.
"Based on evidence obtained during the investigation it is alleged that one fraudulent certificate created by Membreno cost a general contractor over $700,000 in additional premiums," the Board of Workers’ Compensation’s Enforcement Division said.
Officers have charged the suspect with seven felony counts of insurance fraud in Gwinnett County and one count of false swearing in Fulton County. Membreno is currently out on bond.
Officials are asking any business that received a certificate of workers' compensation insurance from any of Membreno's companies to please contact the State Board of Workers’ Compensation’s Enforcement Division at (404) 657-7285 or (800) 533-0682.
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