Kansas City, MO., man pleads guilty to wire fraud in senior insurance scam

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - Darin R. Noah, 40, Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty Monday to one count of wire fraud.

"Mr. Noah targeted seniors with offers of nursing home insurance, long-term care insurance and annuities," said U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren. "He took their money, but he did not provide them with insurance."

In his plea, Noah admitted that beginning in 2000 he sold insurance polices in Kansas and Missouri. On March 16, 2006, the Kansas Insurance Department, Anti-Fraud Division, received a complaint from a couple in Olsburg, Kan. Investigators determined that from June 6, 2001, through March 8, 2006, Noah collected more than $62,000 from the couple for home health care insurance, which he never provided for them to receive.

In his plea, he stipulated that he engaged in illegal activities that resulted in a total loss to the Olsburg couple and other victims of $850,000.

In April, 2006, the Kansas Commissioner of Insurance revoked Noah's license as an insurance agent. In 1997, Noah had been required by the Iowa Insurance Division to surrender his insurance license.

Sentencing is set for Feb. 25, 2008. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Melgren commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Kansas Insurance Department, Anti-Fraud Division, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Marietta Parker for their work on the case.