An Arizona scammer who played a long con on the elderly has been handed a 21-month ticket to the big house. Victoria Totten, 72, of Green Valley, got her one-way pass from U.S. District Judge Jennifer G. Zipps on Tuesday, after pleading guilty last November to Mail Fraud. The long-time licensed insurance agent had been milking her elderly clients by over-collecting insurance premium payments and using their dough for her own personal expenses.
Totten bamboozled her clients by selling them a bill of goods on their insurance policies, convincing them to pay up front to "lock in" a lower rate. Instead of shooting the payments off to the insurance companies, she pocketed the cash. To keep her clients in the dark, she directed all their mail to her P.O. box, keeping the insurance companies' correspondences from reaching the actual policyholders. This wolf in agent's clothing was finally caught by the United States Secret Service's keen eye.
The game is now up for Totten, who's not only looking down the barrel of nearly two years behind bars, but has also been ordered to cough up $114,781 in restitution to her victims. The trust of these seniors was her currency, and she spent it lavishly without a second thought for their twilight years. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, which prosecuted the case, Totten abused her position and the trust that comes with it to feed her greed at the expense of those who could least afford it.
