Complaint Review: Combined Insurance Company Of America

Well, we know that Richard and Judy Ravin, CEO & President and his wife, of Combined Insurance Company of America, a subsidary of AON Corporation in Chicago, IL, are very happy people as of right now. They won their case in Federal Criminal Court against the "ghost agent" managers. It did not matter that many people testified in court that this was a company practice and had been going on since at least 1961.

It did not matter that all company employees who testified against them had signed a Power of Attorney to allow those managers to keep those people on as "ghost agents." It did not matter that those same "ghost agents" wanted to stay on report in order to keep their insurance licenses, their hospitalization, and their 401K's. Those agents lied. They never achieved anything working for Combined Insurance because they also lied in the field and had many cancellations. Most of them were in debits due to child support and garnishments. And, even today, these same people are not successful. One of the "ghost agents" who testified had to be presented in his jail uniform and with chains on.

It did not matter that it was proven that District Managers were required by Executives to keep these same people on report so that they could bonus and help to fool Stock Owners on the quantity of sales people in the field. The U.S. District Attorney repeated the fact that the field managers bonused; but that never happened. As a matter of fact, it cost the District Manager much money to keep these people for the sake of the Executives.

For every $100 that the District Manager kept on report, he lost at least $33 to pay for the "ghost agents" benefits, 401K, and taxes. Fine deal for the District Manager, huh? Everybody in that company has been brainwashed...."Do the right thing because it is the right to do" (when is Richard Ravin going to do that?), Positive Mental Attitude (only around the "little cash registers - the agents"), "How do you feel?" "I feel healthy, happy & terrific!" What crap! The Executives never practice any of that.

Now, how about this? Almost every agent that testified against Pete Vasilakos, Debbi K Lent, and Steve Baker left this company in a huge debit (which Pete and Debbi absorbed). All but one, Doug Roby, borrowed huge amounts of money from the District Manager every week. Do you know why the District Manager loaned them all that money? It was because they were supposed to do WHATEVER it took to keep these agents happy and on report. I remember at one time, I was told by a Vice-President of the Company that if an agent fogged a mirror to get him on report. If you need verification from another Executive that this is all true, go to the Rebuttal Report entitled "Follow Thru Kimberly."

We never realized that what we were told to do was breaking the law. We never thought the company would require us to do so. And, more interesting, is that the company continues to do this. Only now, they use a $16 application so that no check will be cut to the agent. That eliminates money laundering because you have no check to cash since the company won't write a check under the amount of $50.00. However, it doesn't eliminate tax fraud or mail fraud. And, even though it was no defense in our trial, I am sure that U.S. Government should be looking at all this activity. But, who's to really know? After all, right after our conviction, Richard Ravin sold $6.6 million dollars worth of company stock. Coincidence or did he pay somebody off? (Open to the public; just go to insider trading at AON Corporation at the end of June, 2004; it's there).

So, even though we won the Civil Case (which was not allowed introduced by us in the Criminal Case, although the Government used parts of it); we were found guilty and have to serve time in prison.

We were brainwashed by this company; just as you are. Believe this, Mr. Stone cared about building people; Richard Ravin does not. And, although I had met Mr. Stone several times and spoken with him; I never realized until his funeral just how many people he had helped. He truly believed in what he was doing. Richard Ravin truly believes in money and retribution. He is a mean-spirited man who doesn't care who he hurts. He was embarassed when we left to go to Family Heritage and he was doubly embarassed when we won the Civil Case in Federal Court. If we find any consolation in any of this, we know how important we were to the company because of the millions of dollars they have lost in our area since we left. Richard Ravin is just too small-minded to try and "do the right thing because it is the right thing to do."

I urge you, if you are participating in any form of Manweeks; stop! Or, you too, could end up in prison. And, if you know of people like Cy Kavoossi, etc., report them immediately to your local F.B.I.

Good luck!

Debbi
Cambridge, Ohio
U.S.A.