BEN HILL COUNTY, Ga. – Two women with Rutherford Insurance Agency in Fitzgerald are facing multiple felony charges after investigators say they took insurance payments from clients but never forwarded the money to insurance companies, leaving customers unknowingly uninsured.

Michelle “Allie” Joiner and Angela Krause were arrested on November 12, 2025, following an investigation by the Ben Hill County Sheriff’s Office, Fitzgerald Police, and the Georgia Insurance Commissioner’s Office.

According to jail records, they face the following charges:

• Michelle (Allie) Joiner
  • 2 felony counts of insurance fraud
  • 2 felony counts of exploitation of an elderly or disabled adult
  • Bond: $5,700
• Angela Krause
  • 6 felony counts of insurance fraud
  • Bond: $7,900

Both women have bonded out of jail.

WALB News 10 spoke with residents who say they paid monthly premiums to Rutherford Insurance Agency believing their vehicles and property were covered. Instead, they learned during traffic stops and routine checks that their policies did not exist.

Former customers say they trusted Joiner and Krause for years. Some of those former customers are elderly or disabled. Dozens of residents have commented online, sharing similar experiences. Many say they paid cash to the agency and never received proof of insurance, only later discovering they were driving uninsured. While on the scene, WALB noticed a customer coming to pay their insurance, only to find out that the agents were arrested.

Some claim they lost hundreds of dollars. Others worry they’ll be fined or face higher premiums because of gaps in coverage they didn’t know existed. The Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, led by Commissioner John King, is now handling the case.

Local deputies say they referred everything to the state agency after multiple fraud complaints began to surface.

Residents say they believe there could be more former customers who do not know about the fraud charges.

If you believe you may have been affected by Rutherford Insurance Agency, authorities urge you to contact the Insurance Commissioner’s fraud division.

WALB will continue to follow updates from the Georgia Insurance Commissioner’s Office and local law enforcement.

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