MIDWEST NEWS ZONE......

Ohio Department of Insurance Director Mary Jo Hudson announced the Professional Education Corporation (P.E.C.), located in Hamilton, Ohio, no longer has authority to conduct pre-licensing and continuing education classes for Ohio insurance applicants and agents.

As the result of a Departmental Enforcement investigation, George Armstrong, owner of P.E.C., agreed to the revocation of his education provider contract and voluntarily agreed to surrender his Ohio insurance licenses.

A Department investigation revealed from 2006 to 2008, Armstrong reportedly provided hundreds of insurance agents with bogus continuing education credits and false certificates of completion for classes they never took. As part of his scheme, Armstrong established the “Friends of George” program where, for a fee, he would provide an agent with educational credits.

As all education providers are required to maintain specific documentation for classes taught, Armstrong would reportedly arrange for those insurance agents interested in his scheme to meet at a central location and complete the necessary paperwork required. In addition to insurance agents signing a class roster, he would pass out proficiency tests and provide individuals with the answer pattern created so it would appear all class participants successfully passed the course. Armstrong would then provide insurance agents with course completion certificates to show they successfully completed a certain number of hours of continuing education.

Upon conducting an undercover operation at one of his courses, Department investigators witnessed Armstrong’s scheme first hand. Insurance agents who had taken his courses over the years were later interviewed and confirmed what the Department had suspected. Armstrong admitted that all allegations brought against him were true, and agreed to the permanent surrender of his insurance license and pre-licensing and continuing education contracts.

As Ohio insurance agents are required to take 20 hours of continuing education every two years, insurance agents who took continuing education courses from Armstrong / P.E.C. could be required to take additional continuing education in the near future as credits submitted by Armstrong from 2006 through 2008 may be deemed null and void. Those agents may additionally face administrative action being taken against their license as they failed to complete continuing education as required, and engaged in a fraudulent and dishonest practice.

Insurance agents impacted will be notified by mail of any administrative action they may face.