Man Dupes Family For 12 Years On Fake Life Insurance Policy
September 5, 2013 by Jody Callahan, The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn. McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
Sept. 05–A family already suffering from heartbreak must now deal with the realization that a man allegedly conned them for more than a decade with a fake life-insurance policy.
Jerry Gardner, 61, has been arrested for fraud and theft of property. He is being held on$2,000 bond.
According to police, this family’s nightmare began last August, when Shannon Boyland, 70, passed away. Her daughter, Nancy Boyland, contacted three separate life insurance companies –Monumental Insurance, Settlers Insurance and Occidental Life Insurance — about the policy, but was told each time that the policies were still pending because no money had ever been paid on them.
According to an affidavit, though, Shannon Boyland had been paying monthly premiums on the life-insurance policy since 2001, and the family expected it to be worth about$27,000.
The daughter contacted Gardner, who originally sold the policies and who had been receiving the premiums each month. Gardner told the family he would give them $2,000, but never did. The daughter called police, who eventually arrested Gardner. Gardner, who hasn’t been a licensed insurance agent since 2008, told police that he used all the money the Boylands paid him to take care of his personal bills and business accounts.