Gainesville Man Accused of Stealing Almost $2 Million

Gainesville insurance agent James Sirmans Jr. is in a San Diego jail awaiting extradition on a charge of first-degree grand theft after allegedly pocketing $1.8 million in premiums for policies he took out on 20 sham businesses he started.

Sirmans, 58, has operated Rubicon Insurance for 24 years and Rubicon Realty & Investments for 16 years. The phone numbers to both Gainesville businesses are disconnected.

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Fraud Fighters Get Extra Help

All too often, they have no idea what hit them.

People defrauded of their homes or victimized in other property scams are wracked with despair when they realize they've been conned. Many times, they don't even know how it happened.

"I love to help figure it out," said Glenn Gulley, a real estate fraud investigator with the Stanislaus County district attorney's office. "You get to put all the pieces to a puzzle. There is not a more satisfying job in the world."

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Identity Theft in San Fran Takes Months to Investigate

With the mortgage meltdown, collapse of financial institutions and exposure of Bernard Madoff and the like, one would think now would be a good time to have all hands on deck for fraud investigations.

In San Francisco, one would be wrong.

The Police Department's fraud unit has been whittled to eight investigators, less than half of the 19 it had in 1990.

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