Two Face Federal Charges Related to Investigation of Manson Insurance

MADISON, WI—John W. Vaudreuil, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that informations were filed in U.S. District Court in Madison charging David R. Scholfield, 84, of Wausau, Wis., and Susan M. Brockman, 61, of Hayward, Wis., with violations of federal law relating to the investigation of J.N. Manson Agency, Inc. d/b/a Manson Insurance, Wausau.

The information charges Brockman with one count in violation of Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 4, specifically alleging that she had knowledge of a commission of felony and concealed the commission of the felony by causing entries to be made in Manson Insurance records which she did not report to the authorities. Brockman is scheduled to enter a plea to the information on March 23, 2011, at 1:00 p.m. before U.S. District Judge William M. Conley.

David R. Scholfield is charged in a one-count information with conspiracy to violate the bank fraud statute in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. The information alleges that Scholfield, as chief executive officer of Manson Insurance, engaged in a conspiracy to cause fraudulent insurance premium financing notes to be sold to River Valley Bank, Wausau. Scholfield is scheduled to plead guilty to the information on April 13, 2011, at 1:00 p.m. before Judge Conley.

In addition to the conspiracy count, the plea agreement provides that the court in sentencing Scholfield may consider additional criminal activities. The additional criminal activities relate to the providing of fraudulent loan notes to Acqua Finance and the embezzlement of credits due customers of J.N. Manson Agency, Inc. The investigation into the activities of Manson Insurance is continuing.

The charges against Scholfield and Brockman were the result of an investigation conducted by the Wausau office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of this case has been assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorney Grant C. Johnson.

You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.