LAFAYETTE, IN — A 38-year-old Lafayette woman confides in her TikTok videos that she went from scraping by on $30K a year as a waitress and bartender to raking in $800,000 a year selling insurance.
But prosecutors accuse her of forgery, counterfeiting and corrupt business influence.
Megan L. Wood-Freeman, of the 5600 block of Newcastle Road in Lafayette, is the owner of Megan Wood Financial at 3652 Rome St. in Lafayette. Prosecutors said she used her insurance sales business to open accounts in other people’s names and withdraw money from their bank accounts to pay for the policies.
She profited from the commissions on the policies, making $860,000 in 2023, according to court records. In 2018, her commission was listed at $40,000, according to the affidavit.
Her videos show her receiving awards at large conventions, taking domestic and foreign trips and offering advice to would-be insurance sales agents.
The Journal & Courier left a message for Wood-Freeman at her business and sent a Facebook message asking for comment. She has not responded.
A former employee for Megan Wood Financial told investigators that Wood-Freeman or office employees would open new policies for clients using old applications and use a computer software program that legally signs documents. The employee said Wood-Freeman would misrepresent clients’ weight, height and smoking status to get policies approved, prosecutors said.
Tippecanoe County sheriff’s deputies started investigating Wood-Freeman in 2024 after a couple complained about unauthorized charges on their bank accounts going back to 2023. That spawned the investigation, leading to more people who noticed similar charges on their accounts, as well as insurance policies that officials say they did not buy yet were being charged for.
Prosecutors charged Wood-Freeman on Monday with 15 counts of forgery, a Level 6 felony. They also charged her with one count of corrupt business influence, a Level 5 felony, and one count of counterfeiting, a Level 6 felony.
According to court records, Wood-Freeman has waived the reading of the charges at her initial hearing at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 17 in Tippecanoe Superior 5. She has not yet been arrested.
Prosecutors cited Wood-Freeman’s multiple alleged victims as a reason to set a higher-than-normal bond. Prosecutors requested that her bail be set at $15,000 surety bond and $1,500 cash bond.
Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Lafayette insurance agent’s rags-to-riches story results in forgery charges
Reporting by Ron Wilkins, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
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By Ron Wilkins, Lafayette Journal & Courier | USA TODAY Network
