Oklahoma Man Pleads Guilty to Pocketing Agent Commissions

ABixby, Okla., man has pleaded guilty to taking commissions earned by insurance agents working for his firm, according to the Oklahoma Insurance Department.

The OID said Christopher Bland, with Business Consulants of South Tulsa, admitted to a scheme to defraud Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Co., various insurance agents in his offices and a local bank by taking commissions illegally and by opening bank accounts for agents without their authorization.

He pleaded guilty to one of 14 counts of wire fraud, but agreed to pay restitution for the other offenses, including 12 counts of lying to a financial institution.

Bland’s guilty plea rose out of an investigation by the OID’s Anti-Fraud Unit. He was arrested in January with the assistance of the FBI and Oklahoma Highway Patrol.