Petitioner: DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES
Respondent: ANDREW MARTIN ABERN
Judges: LARRY J. SARTIN
Agency: Department of Financial Services
Locations: Miami, Florida
Filed: Feb. 24, 2005
Status: Closed
Settled and/or Dismissed prior to entry of RO/FO on Wednesday, May 11, 2005.
Latest Update: Nov. 18, 2024
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FLORIDA
DEPARTMENT OF
FINANCIAL SERVICES |.
TOM GALLAGHER
FILED
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
STATE OF FLORIDA Bue 23 004
Bocketed a
IN THE MATTER OF:
CASE NO.: 75932-04-AG
ANDREW MARTIN ABERN
/
ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLAINT
— NAY
TO: ANDREW MARTIN ABERN 5) O10€ fe
Abern Financial ~
1550 San Remo Avenue
Suite 250
Coral Gables, FL 33146-3009
You, ANDREW MARTIN ABERN, license LD. #A000349, are hereby notified that the
Chief Financial Officer of the State of Florida has caused to be made an investigation of your
activities while licensed as an insurance agent in this state, as a result of which it is alleged: .
GENERAL ALLEGATIONS
1. Pursuant to Chapter 626, Florida Statutes, you, ANDREW MARTIN ABERN, are
currently licensed in this state as a Life Including Variable Annuity (2-14), Life Including
Variable Annuity & Health (2-15), Life (2-16), Life & Health (2-18), Health (2-40) Agent.
2. At all times pertinent to the dates and occurrences referred to herein, you,
ANDREW MARTIN ABERN, were licensed in this state as an insurance agent.
3. Pursuant to chapter 626, Florida Statutes, the Florida Department of Financial
Services has jurisdiction over your insurance licenses and appointments,
4 At all times material herein, you, ANDREW MARTIN ABERN, engaged in
willful deception, both by acts of omission and commission, through false and fraudulent
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Statements and actions, to induce persons hereinafter identified to purchase insurance products to
their personal detriment and motivated only for the purpose of gaining commissions for yourself.
COUNT I
5. . The above general allegations are hereby realleged and fully incorporated herein
by reference.
6. On or about the late summer of 1999 you, ANDREW MARTIN ABERN, asa
licensed insurance agent, consulted with LFM for the purpose of selling both he and his wife,
DBM, replacement insurance policies for existing whole life insurance policies then owned by
them and issued by Reliastar and General American Insurance Companies, They had maintained
their existing policies for approximately ten years, with each in the total insured sum of
$500,000.00, with each policy then having a cash value of approximately $27,000.00 and
$21,000.00, respectively, and with each policy then commanding annual premium costs of
$3,000.00 and $2,300.00, respectively,
7, You, ANDREW MARTIN ABERN, proceeded to sell the said LFM and his wife
DBM variable life insurance policies to be issued by Security Life of Denver Insurance
Company as replacements for their whole life insurance policies. You specifically represented
premium costs for such new policies would not exceed premium costs previously paid for the
whole life policies. You specifically represented that the means to effect new replacement
policies would attend borrowing against the existing whole life policies in order to effect a
"pourover" funding for the new policies and to then allow the old policies to lapse. You
represented that such "pourover" funds would never be utilized for premium costs for the
replacement policies but would otherwise be accumulated for retirement benefits.
8. You, ANDREW MARTIN ABERN, presented applications to the said LFM and
DBM for the new replacement insurance policies which reflected therein payment of "pourover"
sums of $27,466.00 and $19,000.00, respectively, and further reflected premium costs for the
new policies to be $3,000,00 and $2,300.00, respectively, which premium sums corresponded to
premium costs previously paid for theix whole life policies,
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9. You, ANDREW MARTIN ABERN, deliberately made false and fraudulent
representations to LFM and DBM in order to gain sale of the new replacement insurance policies
and thus receive commissions for yourself. You falsely informed your insureds regarding actual
premium costs. You falsely reflected in their applications that the new policies were not
replacement policies for their old policies thereby averting notification to issuers of the existing
policies being replaced and with no opportunity to compare benefits. You failed to effect the
transaction under Section 1035 for benefits which should have been afforded to your insureds,
You failed to deliver copies of the new policies to your insureds and presented fictitious
signatures of your insureds reflecting that such policies had in fact been delivered. You, without
knowledge or consent of your insureds, reflected in their applications that premium costs would
in fact be increased and deducted from policy funds contrary to your express representations to
them in this regard. Further, and as aforesaid, you represented that the original “pourover"
contributions could not and would not be drawn upon for any increased premium costs beyond
those recited in the applications, when in fact premium funds were debited from such policies’
contributions to effectively deplete intended retirement moneys, which was discovered by your
insureds only after this had occurred.
IT IS THEREFORE CHARGED that you, ANDREW MARTIN ABERN, have violated
or are accountable under the following provisions of the Florida Insurance Code and Rules of the
Department of Financial Services which constitute grounds for the suspension or revocation of
your licenses and eligibility as an insurance agent:
(a) Demonstrated lack of fituess or trustworthiness to engage in the business of
insurance. [Section 626.6] 1(7), Florida Statutes};
(b) In the conduct of business under the license or appointment, engaging in unfair
methods of competition or in unfair or deceptive acts or practices, as prohibited under Part X of
this chapter, or having otherwise having shown himself or herself to be a source of injury of loss
to the public interest or detrimental to the public interest. [Section 626.621.(6), Florida Statutes};
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(c) Fraudulent or dishonest practices in the conduct of business under the license or
appointment, [Section 626.611(9), Florida Statutes];
(d) Misrepresentation for purpose of inducing or tending to induce, the lapse, forfeiture,
exchange, conversion, or surrender of any insurance policy. [Section 626 9541(1)(a)6., Florida
Statutes];
(e) Misrepresenting the benefits, advantages, conditions, or terms of any insurance
policy. [Section 626,9541(1)(a)1., Florida Statutes];
(f) Knowingly making any misleading representations or incomplete or fraudulent
comparisons or fraudulent material omissions of or with respect to any insurance policies for the
purpose of inducing any person to lapse any insurance policy to take out a policy of insurance in
another insurer. [Section 626.9541(1)(1)I., Florida Statutes].
COUNT IT
10. The above general allegations are hereby realleged and fully incorporated herein
by reference.
11. You, ANDREW MARTIN ABERN, as a licensed insurance agent, consulted with
R.B. and his wife J.B. during the period from June 1976 through April 1995, for purpose of
selling to them a succession of life insurance policies. During such period you wrote
applications for sixteen (16) life insurance policies involving three (3) different insurance
companies, to wit: Policy Nos. 0758321, 1204930, CM2009166G, 1017106, 1204927, and
CM2009164 through Columbus Life Insurance Company; Policy Nos. 4197843, 303362,
4255472, 4267539, 4197842, 3033862, 4255459, and 4267540 through Union Central Insurance
Company, and Policy Nos. 2711359 and 2711358 through American Mutual Life Insurance
Company.
12. Because of their implicit and ill-founded trust in you as their insurance agent, the
said J.B. and RB. signed insurance applications in blank at your instance and you thereafter
made false and fraudulent entries therein, thus falsely answering such questions as pertained to
Replacement Insurance.
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I3. You, ANDREW MARTIN ABERN, confiscated cash value sums payable to the
said R.B. and J.B. and deposited same to your own account without their knowledge or consent.
You made false and fraudulent representations to induce the said R.B. and J.B. to purchase a
succession of insurance policies which were not jn their best interests and which caused them
significant monetary loss, all for the purpose of generating commissions for yourself. As
illustrative of such commissions paid to you in your scheme to sell insurance policies toR.B, and
JB. you received the following commissions from Union Central Insurance Company alone:
$1,853.01 for Policy No. 4255472, $1,608.61 for Policy No. 4197843, $3,119.10 for Policy No.
4197842, $1,090.80 for Policy No. 4255454, $5,867.75 for Policy No. 3033683, and $2,895.80
for Policy No. 3033682.
IT IS THEREFORE CHARGED that you, ANDREW MARTIN ABERN, have violated
or are accountable under the following provisions of the Florida Insurance Code and Rules of the
Department of Financial Services which constitute grounds for the suspension or revocation of
your licenses and eligibility as an insurance agent:
(a) Demonstrated Jack of fitness or trustworthiness to engage in the business of
insurance. [Section 626,611(7), Florida Statutes];
(b) In the conduct of business under the license or appointment, engaging in unfair
methods of competition or in unfair or deceptive acts or practices, as prohibited under Part X of
this chapter, or having otherwise having shown hirnself or herself to be a source of injury of loss
to the public interest or detrimental to the public interest. [Section 626.621.(6), Florida Statutes];
(c) Fraudulent or dishonest practices in the conduct of business under the license or
appointment. [Section 626.61 1(9), Florida Statutes];
(d) Misrepresentation for purpose of inducing or tending to induce, the lapse, forfeiture,
exchange, conversion, or surrender of any insurance policy. [Section 626, 9541(1)(a)6., Florida
Statutes];
(e) Misrepresenting the benefits, advantages, conditions, or terms of any insurance
policy. [Section 626.9541(1)(a)1., Florida Statutes];
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(f) Knowingly making any misleading representations or incomplete or fraudulent
comparisons or fraudulent material omissions of or with respect to any insurance policies for the
purpose of inducing any person to lapse any insurance policy to take out a policy of insurance in
another insurer, [Section 626.9541(1)(1)L., Florida Statutes].
WHEREFORE, you, ANDREW MARTIN ABERN, are hereby notified that the Chief
Financial Officer intends to enter an Order suspending or revoking your licenses and
appointments as an insurance agent or to impose such penalties as may be provided under the
provisions of Sections 626.611, 626.621, 626.681, 626.691, and 626.9521, Florida Statutes, and
under the other referenced Sections of the Florida Statutes as set out in this Administrative
Complaint.
NOTICE OF RIGHTS
You have the right to request a proceeding to contest this action by the Department
pursuant to Sections 120.569 and 120.57, Florida Statutes, and Rule 28-107, Florida
Administrative Code, The proceeding request must be in writing, signed by you, and must be
filed with the Department within twenty-one (21) days of your receipt of this notice. Completion
of the attached Election of Proceeding form and/or a petition for administrative hearing will
suffice as a written request. The request must be filed with the General Counsel as acting
Agency Clerk, at the Florida Department of Financial Services, 612 Larson Building, 200 East
Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0333. Your written response must be received by the
Department no later than 5:00 p.m. on the twenty-first day after your receipt of this notice,
Mailing the response on the twenty-first day will not preserve your right to a hearing.
YOUR FAILURE TO RESPOND IN WRITING WITHIN
TWENTY-ONE (21) DAYS OF YOUR RECEIPT OF THIS
NOTICE WILL CONSTITUTE A WAIVER OF YOUR
RIGHT TO REQUEST A PROCEEDING ON THE
MATTERS ALLEGED HEREIN AND AN ORDER OF
REVOCATION WILL BE ENTERED AGAINST YOU.
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If you request a proceeding, you must provide information that complies with the
requirements of Rule 28-107.004, Florida Administrative Code. As noted above, completion of
the attached Election of Proceeding form conforms to these requirements. Specifically, your
response must contain:
(a) The name and address of the party making the request, for purpose of service;
(b) A statement that the party is requesting a hearing involving disputed issues of
material fact, or a hearing not involving disputed issues of material fact; and
(c) Areference to the notice, order to show cause, administrative complaint, or other
communication that the party has received from the agency.
If a hearing of any type is requested, you have the right to be represented by counsel or
other qualified representative at your expense, to present evidence and argument, to call and
cross-examine witnesses, and to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of
documents by subpoena.
Ifa proceeding is requested and there is no dispute of material fact, the provisions of
Section 120.57(2), Florida Statutes, apply. In this regard, you may submit oral or written
evidence in opposition to the action taken by the Department or a written statement challenging
the grounds upon which the Department has relied. While a hearing is normally not required in
the absence of a dispute of fact, if you feel that a hearing is necessary, one will be conducted in
Tallahassee, Florida, or by telephonic conference call upon your request.
However, if you dispute material facts which are the basis for the Department’s action,
you must request an adversarial proceeding pursuant to Sections 120.569 and 120.57(1), Florida
Statutes. These proceedings are held before a State administrative law judge of the Division of
Administrative Hearings. Unless the majority of witnesses are located elsewhere, the
Department will request that the hearing be conducted in Tallahassee, Florida.
Failure to follow the procedure outlined with Tegard to your response to this notice may
result in the request being denied. All prior oral communication or correspondence in this matter
shall be considered freeform agency action, and no such oral communication or correspondence
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shall operate as a valid request for an administrative proceeding. Any request for an
administrative proceeding received prior to the date of this notice shall be deemed abandoned
unless timely renewed in compliance with the guidelines as set out above.
Mediation of this matter pursuant to Section 120.573, Florida Statutes, is not available.
No Department attorney will discuss this matter with you until the response has been received by
the Department of Financial Services.
DATED and SIGNED this a3 nd _ day of Jy Ly 2004.
Deputy Chief Financial Officer
CERTIFICATE OF. VICE
I HEREBY CERTIFY that a true and correct copy of the foregoing ADMINISTRATIVE
COMPLAINT and ELECTION OF PROCEEDING has been furnished to: ANDREW MARTIN
ABERN, Abern Financial, 1550 San Remo Avenue, Suite 250, Coral Gables, FL 33146-3009; by
Certified Mail this_2 3 day of THE , 2004.
Dean Andrews
Division of Legal Services
200 East Gaines St.
612 Larson Building
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-033
(850) 413-4242
Florida Bar Number 0001959
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Docket for Case No: 05-000708PL
Issue Date |
Proceedings |
May 11, 2005 |
Order Closing File. CASE CLOSED.
|
May 09, 2005 |
Notice of No Opposition to Second Motion for Continuance of Final Hearing filed.
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May 06, 2005 |
Second Unopposed Motion for Continuance of Final Hearing filed.
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Apr. 28, 2005 |
Notice of Filing Answers to Interrogatories filed.
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Apr. 11, 2005 |
Order Granting Continuance and Re-scheduling Hearing (hearing set for June 21 through 23, 2005; 9:30 a.m.; Miami, FL).
|
Apr. 05, 2005 |
Respondent`s Unopposed Motion for Continuanceof Final Hearing filed.
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Mar. 21, 2005 |
Respondent`s First Request for Production of Documents filed.
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Mar. 21, 2005 |
Certificate of Service of First Interrogatories to Petitioner (filed by P. Ezatoff).
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Mar. 16, 2005 |
Order of Pre-hearing Instructions.
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Mar. 16, 2005 |
Notice of Hearing (hearing set for May 4 through 6, 2005; 9:30 a.m.; Miami, FL).
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Mar. 07, 2005 |
Response to Initial Order.
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Feb. 25, 2005 |
Initial Order.
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Feb. 24, 2005 |
Administrative Complaint filed.
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Feb. 24, 2005 |
Petition for Formal Administrative Hearing filed.
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Feb. 24, 2005 |
Agency referral filed.
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