Sentencing handed down
in fraud case

A Northeast man was sentenced last week to 11 to 23 months in jail after pleading guilty to charges of defrauding four finance companies and the state’s Bureau of Unemployment Compensation.
Thomas William Hurd, 50, of the 3800 block of Red Lion Road, was also sentenced to seven years probation upon his release and ordered to pay more than $1 million in restitution.
Hurd was president of the Thomas Hurd Insurance Agency and Hurd Insurance Associates, both located on Bristol Pike in Bensalem.
The businesses, which have since been closed, sold commercial lines of insurance to transportation companies and acted as a broker for limousine services, buses, ambulances and taxis.
On May 9, he was arrested following an investigation by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s insurance fraud section. He was charged with submitting false and misleading information to finance companies and securing financing for insurance policies that did not exist or for insurance policies that were obtained and prematurely canceled.
Hurd, who had been free on bail, was also accused of placing five of his employees on unemployment to help offset his salary expenditures. He reduced their salaries and had the difference made up in unemployment compensation.
"These employees continued to work for Mr. Hurd as they received unemployment benefits," Attorney General Tom Corbett said while announcing the arrest at a news conference at Bensalem’s municipal building. "The only individual who profited and received the benefit in this scheme was Hurd, as he received several full-time employees while paying only a fraction of their salary."
The actions allegedly took place from 2001 to 2003 and affected companies in Massachusetts, Iowa, West Virginia and Jersey City, N.J.
Ultimately, Hurd pleaded guilty to one count each of insurance fraud and theft by deception and four counts of theft by failure to make required disposition of funds.
After being sentenced by Bucks County Common Pleas Court Judge Albert Cepparulo, he was taken into custody and is being incarcerated at the Bucks County Correctional Facility in Doylestown.
Deputy Attorney General Gregg Shore, of the insurance fraud section, prosecuted the case. The Bensalem Police Department and Bucks County District Attorney Diane Gibbons also assisted in the investigation. ••