Ex-Agent Sentenced After Admitting He Stole Insurance Premiums
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SANTA ANA — A former Orange County insurance agent was sentenced Tuesday to four years and four months in prison after admitting that he stole more than $400,000 worth of insurance premiums from clients and insurers. Orange County Municipal Judge Donna L. Crandall also ordered Melvin Maurice Katz to pay restitution totaling $401,000, the state Department of Insurance said.
Katz, 59, of Mel Katz Insurance Services, pleaded guilty to charges of grand theft, embezzlement and forgery. The former Laguna Hills resident was accused of selling fraudulent workers’ compensation and business liability insurance policies.
He was returned to Orange County last month from Florida, where he had been serving time for jumping bail on unrelated charges, the department said.
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