Fort Smith Man Appears in Court on Criminal Complaint for Defrauding Insurance Customers

            Fort Smith, Arkansas - Kenneth Elser, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that Samuel Bowron Phillips, of Fort Smith, Arkansas, appeared today before United States Magistrate Judge Mark E. Ford for his initial appearance on a Criminal Complaint that charged Phillips with eleven counts of Mail Fraud, one count of Wire Fraud, and 3 counts of Money Laundering.  The Criminal Complaint alleged that beginning in or about 2013 and continuing through and including November 2015, Phillips devised and executed a scheme to defraud customers of his insurance business by withdrawing funds from their annuity and insurance policies without their consent and knowledge, and used the money for his personal benefit and gain.  

            The charges in a criminal complaint are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless or until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI, the IRS Criminal Investigative Division, the Postal Inspection Service, the Arkansas Department of Insurance, and the Fayetteville Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Kyra Jenner is prosecuting the case for the United States.

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