Former Bartow And Plant City Insurance Agent Sentenced For Fraud

Tampa, Florida – United States District Judge James D. Whittemore has sentenced Heidi Y. Calonge (34) to 18 months in federal prison, followed by 6 months of home detention, for bank fraud, wire fraud, and mail fraud. As part of her sentence, she was ordered to pay $150,371.10 in restitution to her victims. A forfeiture money judgment was also entered in the amount of $150,371.10, representing the proceeds of the fraud. She pleaded guilty on August 13, 2015.

According to court documents, Calonge was employed as the lead agent and manager of a small insurance company located in Plant City – “Express Insurance of Plant City.” In that capacity, she devised a scheme to defraud the owners out of bonus and commission checks from various insurance companies with whom the company did business. Calonge falsely posed as the company’s owner by opening a post office box in a similar corporate name, filing corporate paperwork, registering a similar fictitious name, and opening a personal bank account in that fictitious name in order to deposit checks rightfully owed to the true owners of the company. Calonge spent the fraud proceeds on personal items benefitting herself and her family, and to open another competing insurance agency.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley C. Howard-Allen.