Plymouth Woman Pleads Guilty To Scamming Insurance Company For $2 Million Life Insurance Payout

United States Attorney Andrew M. Luger today announced the guilty plea of IRINA VOROTINOV, 49, to defrauding Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company of more than $2 million in life insurance proceeds by falsely claiming that her former husband died.

“The FBI and Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS determined that Igor Vorotinov’s death was faked,” said Assistant United States Attorney David J. Maclaughlin. “The hard work of the agents on this case illustrates the ability of the United States government to effectively investigate complex international crimes. Would-be fraudsters should be warned that it is very difficult to steal millions of dollars from United States insurance companies with impunity.”

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, in March 2010, Igor Vorotinov purchased a life insurance policy on his own life from Mutual of Omaha, and listed IRINA VOROTINOV as the beneficiary. On October 1, 2011, police in Moldova received a phone call reporting a dead body at the entrance of the Cojusna village in central Moldova. Documents recovered from the body, including a passport, hotel cards, and contact phone numbers, identified the man as Igor Vorotinov.

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, on November 7, 2011, IRINA VOROTINOV filed a death claim with Mutual of Omaha, despite the fact that she knew IGOR was not dead. Mutual of Omaha paid the claim to the defendant with a check for $2,048,414.09. 

According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed in court, IRINA VOROTINOV recruited a third party to open an account at a local branch of U.S. Bank and to deposit the insurance check into the account. She then caused the third party to transfer $1.5 million to another account at US Bank in the name of her son, Alkon Vorotinov.  Ultimately, Between March 29, 2012 and January 2015, the defendant caused more than $1.5 million of the life insurance proceeds to be transferred to accounts located in Switzerland and Moldova.

The defendant pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Patrick J. Schiltz in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, Minn.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Maclaughlin is prosecuting the case.

Defendant Information:

IRINA VOROTINOV, 49

Plymouth, Minn.

Convicted:

• Mail Fraud, 1 count
• Engaging in a monetary transaction in criminally derived property, 1 count

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600