Insurance broker charged with defrauding Tom Hanks

Wonderwall, Wednesday, November 7, 2012, 1:24pm (PST)

The Associated Press

• LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A Southern California insurance broker was arrested Wednesday on allegations he overcharged Tom Hanks, musician Andy Summers and others hundreds of thousands of dollars for insurance premiums.

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  Jerry B. Goldman, who was arrested at his Thousand Oaks home, remained remain jailed Wednesday, U.S. attorney's spokesman Thom Mrozek said.

  A federal grand jury in Los Angeles indicted him on Oct. 30 for fraud.

  A call to his public defender, Yasmin Cader, was not immediately returned.

  The indictment claims that between 1998 and last year, Goldman overcharged Hanks, Summers and two other victims more than $800,000 on insurance policies. He sent the insurance companies the premiums and kept the overcharged amount, prosecutors claim.

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  When clients asked him for copies of their insurance policies, Goldman sent them altered copies that didn't disclose the true premium "in order to lull his clients into a false sense of security" and keep them from suing him or seeking criminal prosecution, the indictment charged.

  Details weren't released but the indictment says the term "insurance policies" in the document refers to coverage for everything from cars, property and fine art to flood, fire, earthquakes, worker's compensation and "personal employment practices liability."

  Hanks and Summers were identified in the indictment as T.H. and A.S., but prosecutors confirmed their identities. The other alleged victims were identified only as M.W.H. and S.R.

  Calls and emails seeking comment from representatives of Hanks and Summers were not immediately returned.

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