Lebanon woman sentenced for Joplin tornado scam

More than two years after the deadly EF5 tornado cut through Joplin, a Lebanon woman has been sentenced for her role in a scheme to defraud victims.

Gloria Diane Schoeller pleaded guilty June 10 to three counts of public adjusting without a license and one count of unlawful merchandising practices for actions following the Joplin tornado, according to a June 20 news release from Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster’s office.

Under her plea agreement, Schoeller was sentenced to four years probation and ordered to repay more than $24,000 in restitution to her victims.

A May 2012 lawsuit charged Shoeller, along with Jeffery Wolfson, for offering insurance claim adjusting and home repair services for Joplin tornado victims via Lebanon-based Insurexx LLC, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

The suit claimed the defendants accepted checks from three Joplin homeowners and didn't perform any home repairs; falsely promised reimbursements to homeowners for payments made to subcontractors; did not follow through on promises to start repair work immediately; and acted as public insurance adjusters without a license from the Missouri Department of Insurance.

Wolfson is charged with three counts of stealing by deceit, three counts of unlawful merchandising practices fraud, three counts of insurance fraud and two counts of public adjusting without a license, according to SBJ archives.

As a condition of her probation, Schoeller has agreed to testify truthfully at the trial of Wolfson, slated for October in Jasper County.

 “The resolution of the charges against Gloria Schoeller means immediate and full restitution for the victims of Insurrexx,” Koster said in the release. “We will continue to protect consumers by pursuing those who took advantage of Missouri citizens at their time of greatest need.”

Because he has prior felony convictions, Wolfson could face a term of up to 15 years per count in prison, if convicted on the six most serious counts.[[In-content Ad]]