Man Admits Selling Bogus Death Policies

A Santa Ana man accused of stealing thousands of dollars from elderly Ventura County residents after selling them bogus pre-need cremation policies pleaded guilty in court Friday to 13 counts of grand theft, prosecutors said.

Irwin Karp, 63, faces a maximum of nine years in prison when he returns to court Oct. 1 for sentencing, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Audry Rohn.

Rohn, in charge of prosecuting the county’s elder abuse cases, said she hoped the conviction would bring some peace of mind to those who were cheated.

“We hope the victims will feel whole again,” Rohn said, “and be satisfied someone has been made accountable for this. Someone just can’t be ripping these people off, especially in this county.”

Authorities said that in 1993 and 1994, Karp ran a company that sold policies covering cremation costs. Half of the $1,000 policies paid for administrative costs, while the remaining cash was supposed to be placed in a trust account to earn interest and eventually pay for the cremation.

About 85 such policies were sold to Ventura County residents, most of them elderly people, authorities said.

But when family members tried to turn in their loved ones’ policies, they discovered their relatives’ money was gone. Investigators believe Karp kept all of the money for himself, pocketing more than $70,000 in Ventura County alone.

Authorities say Karp ran his business out of Santa Ana and used mailers and telemarketing to recruit customers. They believe there may be as many as 200 victims throughout the state.