South Bay insurance agent accused of falsely claiming clients were students, charged with fraud
SAN JOSE – A former Farmers Insurance agent in San Jose has been charged with fraud for allegedly submitting false information about clients to get them lower rates and bonuses for himself, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office said Monday.
Thomas Truong, 61, allegedly submitted fake University of California, Berkeley college diplomas, fake report cards, and fake letters from local community colleges claiming his clients were students to get them lower rates "and thousands of dollars in commissions for himself," prosecutors allege.
Truong is accused of turning in ten "good student" forms from Mission College in Santa Clara to Farmers to get discounts for his clients. Investigators allege that eight of the ten had never been to college and the other two did not attend during the dates he listed.
When shown the documents, prosecutors said the clients denied providing them to Truong and many did not know they were receiving discounts.
Fired from Farmers after the allegations came to light in June 2022, Truong was arraigned on Monday in San Jose. Prosecutors said if convicted, he will likely be ordered to pay restitution and serve a jail sentence.