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Man Sentenced for Insurance Fund Embezzlement
MONTGOMERY, AL—John W. Goff, age 60, was sentenced on June 2, 2009, to 144
months' imprisonment by the Hon. Myron H. Thompson, District Judge, in the United States
District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. A jury had previously found Goff guilty of
25 felony counts, namely, one count of embezzlement of insurance company funds,
23 counts of mail fraud, and one count of making a material false statement to the
Alabama Department of Insurance. In addition to his prison term, Goff was ordered to pay
restitution to XL America Corporation in the amount of $5,063,244.
During the sentencing hearing, the district court found that through his illegal conduct
Goff had victimized 154 different entities, including two national insurance companies, several
independent insurance agents, and numerous insured businesses. Goff’s criminal scheme
involved stealing the premiums of XL Specialty and Greenwich Insurance Companies and the
commissions and unearned commissions he owed to independent insurance agents and insured
businesses, respectively.
Acting United States Attorney Louis V. Franklin, Sr., said that he “was pleased with the
sentence and hopes it deters others from engaging in similar criminal conduct.” Mr. Franklin
noted that the Alabama Department of Insurance, the FBI, many private individuals, and his
office had been maliciously attacked by Goff who has shown absolutely no remorse for his
crimes. “The execution of justice in this case was, therefore, particularly satisfying” said Mr. Franklin. The lead prosecutor in the case, J.B. Perrine, said that “the court fashioned a
reasonable sentence for Goff who willfully betrayed the trust hundreds of individuals and
businesses had placed in him to treat their funds in a fiduciary capacity. Instead of honoring this
trust, Goff abused and trampled on it to feed his insatiable appetite for a life of luxury.” Mr.
Perrine said that he “hopes that the sentence sends a stern warning to those who voluntarily place
themselves in a fiduciary position not to cavalierly treat other people’s money like it is their
own.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mobile Division, with
Mr. Robert C. Rodge, as the Acting Special Agent in Charge, and Special Agent James K.
Murray as the case agent. This case was prosecuted by Acting United States Attorney Franklin
and AUSAs Perrine and Stephen Feaga.
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