An Oakland County insurance agent is facing a slew of felony charges for allegedly embezzling municipal funds and forging client documents. Robert Joseph Bucko, the 70-year-old owner of the Stevenson Company, was arraigned on Halloween in the local district court. As reported by the Michigan Department of Attorney General, Dana Nessel, Bucko is staring down the gauntlet at charges that include two counts of embezzlement and multiple counts each of false pretenses, insurance fraud, and tax-related offenses.
Investigators claim that Bucko played a shell game with his clients' money, pocketing full insurance premiums from various municipalities but only forwarding part of those to the insurer. He essentially shortchanged the insurance company of more than $400,000 in premiums. To maintain the facade, he reportedly used payments from new clients to patch up older accounts—a scheme that eventually came undone.
In addition to this, Bucko is also accused of overcharging municipalities and scoffing at his tax obligations by failing to file his Michigan income tax returns for three consecutive years, ranging from 2021 to 2023. These allegations come with serious weight, with embezzlement charges alone that could lock away Bucko for up to 20 years if convicted.
During the investigation, a cooperative effort between the Attorney General’s office and the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) was instrumental. "We expect insurance agents to handle their clients' money with integrity," asserted Nessel, as per the Michigan Department of Attorney General. Anita Fox, the DIFS Director, echoed these sentiments, underscoring the commitment to protecting Michiganders and reminding the public that suspected fraud can be anonymously reported to their office.
