May 30, 2013 - SAINT PAUL, MN – Earlier today, 61-year-old Stephen A. Marrone of Saint Paul pleaded guilty to three counts of Theft by Swindle (counts 3, 4, and 6) in connection with multiple incidents of annuities fraud. Marrone and his co-defendant Robert S. Hertz were charged by the Ramsey County Attorney’s on August 31, 2012, after an extensive investigation, conducted by the Department of Commerce Insurance Fraud Division, uncovered an annuity conversion scheme that replaced over $4.2 million of annuities.

May 29, 2013 - SAINT PAUL, MN –The Minnesota Department of Commerce has uncovered eleven unlicensed sham companies targeting timeshare owners falsely claiming to be able to sell or rent their properties and scamming them into paying thousands of dollars in transaction costs that never result in a sale or rental of their properties. In every case, the company used a fake street address on their website and in the materials they provided to timeshare owners.

March 14, 2013 - SAINT PAUL, MN – Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman ordered Profitable Sunrise and its operators, Roman Novak and Radoslav Novak, and Minnesotans William Nilsson (a/k/a Chad Nilsson) and Casey Dorian, today to cease and desist from selling securities in the State of Minnesota.

February 26, 2013 - Formal charges have been filed in Ramsey County District Court on allegations that Saint Paul and Spooner, WI resident Linda A. Brost committed a litany of offenses, including insurance fraud, theft by swindle, aggravated forgery, and identity theft. This morning, the Department of Commerce Insurance Fraud Division, assisted by the St. Paul Police Department, Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office and Washburn County (WI) Sheriff’s Office, executed search warrants at Brost’s St. Paul and Spooner, Wisconsin residences.

February 19, 2013 - SAINT PAUL, MN – The Minnesota Department of Commerce announced today that Minnesota consumers may qualify for a refund if they purchased travel insurance from Virginia Surety Company (VSC), or one of its contracted agencies, between January 1, 2007 and October 31, 2012. The announcement came after the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the Missouri Department of Insurance issued a joint consent order alleging that VSC routinely required consumers to affirmatively “opt-out” of purchasing premium travel insurance packages, violating numerous state laws and regulations.

February 14, 2013 - The Minnesota Department of Commerce took action against Rodd after receiving a complaint in January from a resident of the Redwood Falls area who had not been repaid as promised for his investment. The Commerce Department’s investigation found that four southwestern Minnesota residents who were solicited by Rodd were senior citizens, one of whom had been suffering from dementia at the time of investment; and two investors who claim to have invested their entire retirement savings – one of whom literally invested virtually all the proceeds from the sale of his farm.

February 11, 2013 - SAINT PAUL, MN –To raise awareness, the Minnesota Department of Commerce is highlighting Insurance Fraud Awareness Week, February 11-15, 2013. Insurance fraud costs an average family about $950 a year, and insurance companies and consumers across the United States an estimated $80 billion a year, according to the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud.

January 25, 2013 - David Norman Juntunen, 40, of Minneapolis was arrested Wednesday following a 10-month investigation by the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the Minneapolis Park Police. Juntunen is the owner of Top Gear Autoworks in Minneapolis, which repairs and stores high-end luxury and sports cars. Pamela Jean Dupont, 41, of Minneapolis was also charged with insurance fraud and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

November 26, 2012 - ST. PAUL, MN – Commissioner Mike Rothman announced that a Regulatory Settlement Agreement has been entered into with National Union Fire Insurance Company (NUFIC), an AIG Company.

November 19, 2012 - SAINT PAUL, MN – Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman announced new leadership appointments for the Minnesota Department of Commerce.