PADUCAH — A joint investigation by the Kentucky State Police Post 1 and the Kentucky Department of Insurance, which began in 2015, has led to the conviction on multiple federal charges of a Benton man.
Corey A. Thorson, 41, of Benton, Kentucky entered a guilty plea to all charges in a six-count indictment on Jan. 12, 2017. Those charges included bank fraud and identity fraud. On May 19, 2017, Thorson was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $109,064.94 in restitution.
Between May 2013 and December 2014, Thorson was employed at State Farm Insurance Agency in Paducah. During his employment, Thorson had access to the personal information of his clients. Using their personal information and forging their signatures, Thorson was able to apply for and receive numerous fraudulent loans. He was also able to influence State Farm Bank to approve the loans. Thorson knew he did not have authority to apply for or obtain these loans, but did so anyway with the intent to defraud State Farm Bank.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nute A. Bonner.