Press release from the District Attorney’s Office:
District
Attorney Maggie Fleming announced that on September 24, 2020, Judge
Christopher Wilson sentenced former insurance broker, John Ray James
Ford, to five years of formal probation and 90 days in jail. Mr. Ford
pled guilty to violating Penal Code Section 503, felony embezzlement.
Ford.
A
client and the client’s attorney first reported misappropriation of
funds by Mr. Ford to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO).
The HCSO, Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office, and the
California Department of Insurance then collaborated on an
investigation.
The
investigation revealed that in 2016, Mr. Ford had contracted with
various clients, including cannabis-related businesses, to broker
insurance policies on their behalf. After receiving premium payments
from clients, he either did not put coverage in place or established
policies that were subsequently cancelled by the insurer for
non-payment. Mr. Ford used the payments from clients for his own
business and personal expenses.
Mr.
Ford’s sentence includes an order to make restitution to all
victims.
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