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Oxendine shuts down agency for selling bogus taxi and limo insurance

Insurance Commissioner John W. Oxendine issued a cease and desist order against Barnesville-based Phoenix Brokerage Inc. and Main Street Brokerage Inc., and arrested one of the owners for allegedly selling bogus taxicab and limosine insurance to unsuspecting Georgia businessowners.

Robert Waterhouse, co-owner of the brokerages that sold commercial auto coverage to taxi and limousine services statewide. Warrants have been issued on his father and co-owner Godfrey “Jeff” Waterhouse. Both father and son are natives of New Zealand.

Oxendine said the Waterhouses allegedly have collected roughly $3 million in premiums over the past two and a half years. Companies in Peachtree City, Fairburn, Newnan and Union City might have fallen prey to the Waterhouses scam, officials say.

“The fraudulent activities of these brokerages have placed numerous businessmen in financial peril across the state,” Oxendine said. “Georgia citizens have also been put at risk whenever they rode in a vehicle that was supposedly covered by these firms.”

The policies sold by their brokerages were allegedly from Mark Solofa Insurance Company - a legitimate insurer located in American Samoa. However, the premiums were never passed on to the insurer, and neither agent had a contract to represent Mark Solofa Insurance.

“I want any company who thinks they might have purchased an auto insurance policy from the Waterhouse agencies to contact my office,” Oxendine said.

Consumers can reach the Commissioner’s Consumer Services Division at 404-656-2070, or 1-800-656-2298 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Cities with taxi or limo companies that have policies with the Waterhouses include Acworth, Albany, Alpharetta, Americus, Atlanta, Blakely, Brunswick, Cataula, Clarkston, College Park, Columbus, Cumming, Cussetta, Dahlonega, Dawsonville, Decatur, Doraville, Douglasville, Duluth, Dunwoody, East Point, Eden, Ellenwood, Fairburn, Fayetteville, Fitzgerald, Forest Park, Gainesville, Grayson, Hampton, Newnan, Jesup, Alpharetta, Jonesboro, Kennesaw, Lawrenceville, Lilburn, Lithia Springs, Lithonia, Loganville, Mableton, Macon, Marietta, McDonough, Oakwood, Peachtree City, Pine Lake, Portal, Powder Springs, Redan, Rex, Riverdale, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Snellville, St. Marys, St. Simons Island, Stone Mountain, Toccoa, Union City and Woodstock.