Tampa, Florida – Katrenia Harris (55, Tampa) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge William F. Jung to 13 months in federal prison for wire fraud. As part of her sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $49,772.40, the proceeds of the wire fraud. Harris pleaded guilty on April 16, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, beginning in approximately February 2017, and continuing through August 2023, in the Middle District of Florida and elsewhere, Harris fraudulently held herself out to the public as a licensed insurance broker, when in fact she was not licensed and not an authorized broker, offering her victim-customers auto insurance policies. Harris submitted fraudulent applications for victim-customers through online or telephonic customer portals for insurance. Those fraudulent applications contained her victim-customers’ true names along with bogus associated personal identifying information (“PII”), such as email addresses and phone numbers that were solely in Harris’s control. Consequently, initial proof of insurance cards were sent only to Harris’s controlled accounts. Harris then forwarded the proof of insurance to her victim-customers, but she did not pay the required premiums. Due to non-payment, policies were rescinded shortly after their inception. Harris did not notify victim-customers of the cancellation. The victim-customers then operated their vehicles without valid insurance, resulting in unpaid claims for loss. The investigation revealed that Harris defrauded more than 500 victims and obtained $49,772.40 in fraudulent proceeds through the course of this scheme.
This case was investigated by the Florida Department of Financial Services Bureau of Insurance Fraud Criminal Investigations Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Whitney Mackay. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney James A. Muench.