A Nebraska insurance agent and pastor was sentenced to 15 weekends in jail and five years’ probation for mail fraud for making false claims against insurance policies he had issued to himself.
Codie D. Malesker, age 47, of Hastings, Nebraska, was also ordered to pay $63,443.77 in restitution.
Malesker operated his own insurance office, the Malesker Agency; served as a pastor and board member at Faith Community Tabernacle, a local church; and was a partner in a construction company, Shaun Peck Family Construction.
In his capacity as financial manager for the construction company, Malesker had access to the business’s bank account, checks and debit cards, as well as to an Intuit account to generate estimates with the company letterhead.
Malesker committed mail fraud by issuing insurance policies to himself, his insurance agency, and the church, then making fraudulent claims against those policies and diverting the proceeds to the accounts he controlled at the construction company.
In one case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the State of Nebraska said, Malesker filed a claim reporting that $13,388 in cash and $18,723.11 in personal property had been stolen from the insurance company’s office. Malesker submitted fraudulent receipts and bank records to support the claim, and Continental Western Insurance Group mailed two claims checks to Malesker totaling $31,648.77.
The case was investigated by the Nebraska Department of Insurance and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Access to MinistryWatch content is free. However, we hope you will support our work with your prayers and financial gifts. To make a donation, click here.