Greene County woman indicted on 36 counts, including securities fraud and theft
The Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Securities announced Wednesday that Beverly A. Kirk, a Greene County resident and insurance agent, has been indicted in Greene County on 36 criminal counts.
The counts, which include securities fraud, unlicensed securities activity, theft, theft from a person in a protected class, and securing writings by deception, range from second- to fourth-degree felonies.
The indictment alleges that from 2019 to 2021, Kirk solicited three insurance clients, one of them elderly, to invest at least $235,000 in various investments, including non-existent jumbo CDs and investments allegedly issued by an insurance underwriter. The indictment also alleges that Kirk misappropriated the investments for her own personal use. The indictment includes a forfeiture specification for $235,000.
Kirk was arrested Tuesday, April 30, and she is currently incarcerated in the Greene County Jail awaiting her arraignment and bond hearing, which is scheduled to take place Thursday, May 2 at 8:30 a.m.
“Ms. Kirk exploited the trust that these victims placed in her and must now face the consequences for her greed,” said Ohio Securities Commissioner Andrea Seidt. “We urge investors to call the Ohio Division of Securities to make sure they are working with properly licensed professionals and investing in legitimate products before they hand over their hard-earned money.”
Before investing, the Division of Securities encourages potential investors to call the Division’s Investor Protection Hotline at 877-683-7841 to ask:
• Is the securities professional, platform, or firm properly licensed to do business in Ohio?
• Is the security being promoted by the firm, platform, or the professional registered for sale in Ohio?
• Are there any enforcement actions involving the firm, professional, platform, or securities product being promoted?
An indictment is merely an allegation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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