Washington police allege that a State Farm office worker helped herself to nearly $17,000 in unremitted payments following an investigation in Sunnyside where the woman worked in the insurer’s Yakima Valley Highway branch.
According to the police, the woman stole $16,974 from 37 different customer payments while working as an office manager at 1112 Yakima Valley Highway. Police said 20 other payments worth a total of $7,445 have yet to be accounted for.
The Yakima Herald reported that the woman’s modus involved accepting payments, issuing a receipt for these payments, but not remitting them to State Farm. When customers complained of notices of cancellation, late payment or being billed twice, the woman would say there was a problem with the payment system and apply another customer’s payment to the complainant’s account.
When notified of the situation, State Farm officials contacted affected customers and have taken steps to insure that their policies remained valid, according to a company representative.
Court documents also reflect a statement alleging that $40,000 is missing from the insurer’s coffers, however this does not tally with the loss recorded by the police. State Farm officials also estimate that they have lost about $40,000.
The Yakima County jail released the woman Friday after appearing before the Yakima County Superior Court on suspected theft. She will make another court appearance in two weeks.
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