Northern Virginia Insurance Agent Sentenced to 36 Months in Prison

Fairfax Station Man Ordered to Forfeit $1.6 Million

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Mark Stopchinski, 52 of Fairfax Station, Va., was sentenced today to 36 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for his fraudulently misleading policy holders into purchasing life insurance policies in an effort to generate additional commissions. Stopchinski was also ordered to forfeit $1.6 million.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Daniel Cortez, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the United States Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Anthony Trenga. Stopchinski pleaded guilty on Oct. 21, 2010, to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

According to court documents, Stopchinski caused insurance agents working for him and companies he owned to advertise the sale of health insurance through illegal “fax blasts” and to misrepresent the nature of the insurance policies offered for sale so that the individuals believed that they were purchasing health insurance policies when in fact they were purchasing two separate unrelated policies: one health insurance policy and one life insurance policy, each provided by separate insurance companies, each requiring separate premiums, and each paying commissions to the defendant.

In furtherance of the scheme, Stopchinski falsified and caused the falsification of signatures of applicants on paperwork and correspondence to the insurance companies and falsified and caused to be falsified the signatures of his agents on the life insurance policy applications and supporting documents. Stopchinski also caused the fraudulent life insurance applications to be sent to the life insurance companies. In connection with these policies, Stopchinski received commissions that were typically in excess of 100 percent of the total value of the first year’s premiums. Stopchinski’s multi-year scheme resulted in his receiving over $2 million in life insurance commissions from approximately 10 different insurance companies.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Charles Connolly prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. The United States Attorney’s Office recognizes the substantial assistance of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Bureau of Insurance.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.