Howell insurance agent sentenced to jail for embezzling $375K from clients

A Howell insurance agent accused of taking more than $375,000 from her clients has been sentenced to jail, the Michigan Attorney General's Office announced Friday. 

On Thursday, Chief Judge Michael Hatty in Livingston County Circuit Court sentenced Alicia Holbrook-Bloink to one year in jail and three years' probation, officials said in a statement. Restitution is slated to be addressed during a June 10 hearing.

The 44-year-old last month pleaded guilty to conducting a criminal enterprise. Her insurance agency, Holbrook Insurance Agency LLC, pleaded guilty to conducting a criminal enterprise, embezzlement, identity theft and tax evasion, according to the release. 

The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services started investigating after several victims filed complaints related to her agency, state officials have said.

Authorities allege that between 2015 and 2018, Holbrook-Bloink would take money from clients who paid in full, then forge finance agreements with the insurance underwriters to ensure they had the policy issued while she used their funds.

"These finance contracts were regularly not paid, and insurance would be canceled, often without the client knowing," state officials said. 

The case was referred to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office.

Holbrook-Bloink was ordered to stand trial in October 2020 after a three-day preliminary examination and had been charged on multiple counts, including embezzlement.

"When the people we hire to protect our assets choose instead to pocket our money, there must be consequences,” Nessel said. “My office remains committed to ensuring Michiganders are not taken advantage of by bad actors."