Former Georgia insurance commissioner sentenced to 7 years

By JEFF AMY
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — A federal judge has sentenced former Georgia Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck to more than seven years in prison for fraud. The judge on Tuesday also ordered Beck to pay $2.6 million in restitution to make up for money he stole from an insurer. Jurors in July swiftly convicted the 60-year-old Beck on 37 counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering and tax fraud. The trial detailed a scheme that channeled more than $2.5 million from the Georgia Underwriting Association to Beck’s bank accounts. Beck managed the insurer of last resort for years before he was elected to statewide office.