A Santa Barbara insurance agent is facing 13 felony counts after investigators say he collected payments from five clients but left them uninsured.
California Department of Insurance detectives arrested Mark Lynch, 40, on Tuesday.
He's accused of grand theft, embezzlement, and money laundering.
Investigators say between January 2016 and January 2017, he collected more than $72,425 in insurance premium payments from clients that he never insured. He's accused of using the money for his own personal benefit.
The victims include three Santa Barbara homeowners and two small business owners. One client was reportedly left uninsured during the Montecito mudslides in January 2018 but did not suffer damage.
Lynch was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail with bail set at $100,000.
The Department of Insurance is seeking to revoke his insurance license.
