February 15, 2018
Lubbock insurance agent sentenced for scamming elderly clients
A former Lubbock insurance agent was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison and ordered to pay back $810,000 to his victims after a Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) investigation.
Officers with the Texas Department of Insurance Fraud Unit found that Joseph Allen Gaines persuaded senior citizens in West Texas to purchase annuities, but then kept the money for himself.
Gaines came to the attention of TDI and the Lubbock Police Department when a 94-year-old woman’s family called an insurance company to confirm her $700,000 investment. They were told there was no policy in their mother’s name.
TDI’s investigation also identified other victims of the scheme. Gaines was charged with felonies in Swisher, Wilbarger, and Howard counties. Several of Gaines' victims testified at the sentencing in Swisher County.