Former Agent Charged with Five Felony Counts

A former insurance agent was arrested by the Polk County Attorney’s Office and charged with five counts of felony. The County alleges that Roland L. Huff, Jr. of Urbandale engaged in a criminal enterprise by taking money with the intent to deceive his customers. Last year, the Iowa Insurance Division (iid) investigated this same insurance agent, filed a statement of charges and permanently revoked his insurance license.

In the investigation conducted by the iid it was alleged that Huff, Jr. :
· failed to deliver insurance contracts after obtaining the client’s money
· charged his clients prohibited fees
· made sales that were unsuitable for the consumer’s needs
· misappropriated over $180,000 from eight elderly consumers

Roland Huff, Jr. waived his right to a public hearing and agreed to a voluntary revocation of his license.

“In addition to regulating the industry, the iid works to protect Iowa consumers,” said Scott Kinney, spokesperson for the Division. “We hope that the arrest of Roland Huff, Jr. will send a loud and clear message to insurance agents – we will not tolerate deceptive sales practices in Iowa and won’t hesitate turning the results of our investigations over to authorities for further prosecution.”

The county’s charges against Roland Huff, Jr. include three counts of Theft 2nd, which is a Class D felony; one count of Theft 1st, which is a Class C felony; and Ongoing Criminal Conduct, which is a Class B felony. Polk County Attorney, Steve Foritano and Special Agent, Karen Hopewell are handling the investigation. Following his arrest on March 14, Huff, Jr. posted bond and is currently waiting for a trial date.