AUGUSTA, Ga. – An Augusta man who took over his father’s insurance business pleaded guilty Thursday to charges related to cheating customers.
William Quincy Murphy, 41, pleaded guilty in Richmond County Superior Court to forgery and two counts theft by deception. After a hearing regarding restitution, Judge Daniel J. Craig order Murphy to repay his 2017 victims $46,884.
In this case, Murphy sold a family insurance for their home and personal belongings and the family made the required payments. But in 2017 when Hurricane Irma came through the area and the roof was torn off of the family’s home, leading to extensive damage, the family learned there was no insurance. Murphy never forwarded the insurance payments to the insurance company, said Assistant District Attorney Ryne Cox.
Defense attorney Christy Mullgrav asked the judge to take into account the $16,000 for restitution that Murphy’s family members have raised for him. Murphy never received counseling he should have taken advantage of after his father’s 2013 death, she said. Murphy took over his father’s insurance business after the death of state Rep. William Quincy Murphy.
Murphy, a college graduate, had been working two jobs before his arrest and believes he will be able to find work in order to repay the victims, Mullgrav said
The judge ordered Murphy to pay the remaining $30,884 in restitution, minus the money his family already raised, within the first year of his probation term _ 10 years. Craig also ordered Murphy to pay a $5,000 fine within the following six months.
Last year, Murphy pleaded guilty to theft for pocketing insurance payments another victim made for car insurance in 2017, and for passing a bad check.
Also Thursday, Murphy pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine. He was sentenced to a concurrent three-year probation term.
