Iowa Contractor Charged for Public Adjusting Without a License

An Iowa contractor has been charged with acting as a public adjuster without a license and insurance fraud.

Joseph Starr, 39, of Rockwell, was charged with two counts of acting as a public adjuster without a license and one count of insurance fraud.

The charges followed an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau. Criminal complaints filed by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau allege Starr was an employee of Sibling Construction accused of engaging in multiple acts of unlicensed public adjusting.

Starr allegedly negotiated insurance claims on behalf of clients with both Farm Bureau Financial Services and Osage Insurance and submitted invoices for compensation for work that had not yet been completed.

Starr was arrested and booked at the Cerro Gordo County Jail on March 27.

Iowa law restricts a contractor completing the repairs from acting as a public adjuster on an insurance claim.