By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A former Livingston County insurance agent has been sentenced to jail time in a felony embezzlement case filed by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office.

45-year-old Alicia Holbrook-Bloink of Howell was sentenced Thursday by Livingston County Circuit Court Judge Michael Hatty. She was ordered to serve three years of probation, with the first year in the Livingston County Jail. The first four months in jail are to be served immediately.

In addition to having to pay restitution, Holbrook-Bloink is also required to close her insurance company and forfeit any insurance licenses. She earlier pleaded no contest to conducting a criminal enterprise, embezzling more than $100,000 and failure to file a tax return. It was part of an agreement with prosecutors that dropped various other charges including four counts of identity theft.

Holbrook-Bloink had faced up to 20 years in prison on the original charges.

Authorities say she defrauded clients of more than $375,000 between 2015 and 2018 through her firm, Holbrook Insurance Agency, LLC. The company was eventually shut down by regulators with the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services.

Assistant Attorney General Ashley Schwartz previously testified that Holbrook-Bloink took money from clients who paid in advance, but then forged financial agreements with underwriters, which would typically go unpaid and then be canceled without clients being aware the policy was no longer in effect. Holbrook-Bloink later stopped forging the agreements and “would just steal the client’s money” without attempting to issue a policy.

A restitution hearing will be held in June.