A former claims manager at a company that is part of Arthur J. Gallagher (AJG) has been sentenced to five years for stealing more than £1.8 million from his employer.

 

Martin Turner, 50, has been convicted at the London Crown Court for fraud by abuse of position of trust after he masterminded the theft at Indemnity Risk Solutions (IRS), a subsidiary of Ink Underwriting, which is owned by AJG.

 

According to the City of London Police, Turner doctored insurance claims emails from June 2012 to July 2016 to ensure payments were made to third parties for personal items and services including house renovations, luxury cars and mortgage clearance.

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The crime escalated in October 2015 when Turner used a falsified latter, claiming that he had been given a £500,000 bonus from his employer, to justify the funding required to purchase his house.

 

AJG discovered this fraud and later analysed Turner’s emails and the payments that he authorised, which revealed the full extent of his crime. The company then terminated his employment.

 

“This fraud is theft, pure and simple, and we take theft and any other dishonest behaviour extremely seriously,” said Bill McGowan, AJG chief counsel.

 

After receiving a report from the broker, fraud squad detectives of the City of London Police uncovered more than 50 false payments made by Turner worth over £1.8 million.

 

Turner was arrested in July 22, 2016.

 

“Turner was a man driven by greed who took advantage of his position in the company to give himself a lifestyle beyond his means,” said Detective Constable Simon Cordell.