Insurance Agent Arrested For Theft, Forgery

Feb. 09--An insurance agent was arrested Thursday on warrants for theft and forgery related to the mishandling of client policies.

Donielle K. Gonzales, 41, turned herself in Thursday night and was released Friday on $25,000 bail.

Gonzales is a past board member of the Cesar Chavez Academy and committee member of the Pueblo Sister Cities Program.

According to the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office, Gonzales' warrant was issued by the Colorado Attorney General.

According to documents obtained by The Pueblo Chieftain, Gonzales' insurance license was revoked in June amidst four cases in which she was accused of mishandling clients' money while working for American Family Insurance.

The documents are not an affidavit for arrest, which was unavailable Friday. They detail the cases that resulted in Gonzales' insurance license revocation.

The first case started in October 2011, when a home in Walsenburg was destroyed by fire.

According to a court document, four months before the fire, the victim had paid Gonzales $2,980 for home insurance.

Gonzales didn't submit the premium "until after there was a total fire loss." The document said Gonzales "electronically entered a second insurance policy application . . . with a September 20, 2011, effective date and a $500 down payment."

The victim said his policy "would cover $315,000 for the contents and $440,000 for the home should a loss occur," the document said.

It was after this case that Gonzales "resigned" from American Family.

In another case, a Pueblo woman said that Gonzales had been "providing them with false homeowners insurance" for "several years."

An Avondale couple said that Gonzales never paid $1,391 for a new homeowners policy. And in another case, Gonzales reportedly supplied a local business, from 2004-08, with "workers compensation and employers liability," a coverage not offered by American Family, the document said.

Gonzales, who could not be reached for comment, also faces civil penalties, according to the document.

In all four cases combined, Gonzales faces $171,000 in penalties.

The document said Gonzales' license was revoked but that she went to work for another insurance company, taking a "minimum of 600' American Family clients with her, which is a "violation of her AFI agent contract."

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