Three Charged With Defrauding More Than 100 Local Navy Service Members

A grand jury indictment charging three San Diegans with conspiracy to commit fraud, grand theft, forgery and identity theft was unsealed Thursday, alleging the defendants defrauded more than 100 local Navy service members out of millions by selling the service members unnecessary life insurance policies.

Paul Flanagan, 54; Ranjit Kalsi, 52; and Gregory Martin II, 49, are accused of selling 4,700 life insurance policies and annuity contracts to service members who already had life insurance through the Navy, otherwise known as Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance.

Prosecutors allege the defendants -- through their company, Go Navy Tax Service -- misrepresented what services the company was providing when they sold policies to the service members. Bank accounts were opened in the service members' names to make automatic payments toward the policies' premiums, though the victims believed they were signing up for a retirement savings account or other services, rather than life insurance policies.