Kathleen Helm

A former executive of a now-defunct Irvine insurance agency pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to charges of defrauding a construction industry association to finance a lavish lifestyle. Kathleen Helm, once an executive vice president of Rubell Helm Insurance Services, Inc., admitted Monday that she spent the money on expensive vacations, extensive renovation of a Colorado ranch, clothing and jewelry, Assistant U.S. Atty. Jeffrey B. Isaacs said.

A former executive of a now-defunct Irvine insurance agency pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to charges of defrauding a construction industry association to finance a lavish lifestyle. Kathleen Helm, once an executive vice president of Rubell Helm Insurance Services, Inc., admitted Monday that she spent the money on expensive vacations, extensive renovation of a Colorado ranch, clothing and jewelry, Assistant U.S. Atty. Jeffrey B. Isaacs said.

A federal judge on Monday sentenced two former officials of a now-defunct Irvine insurance agency, one to 2 1/2 years in prison and another to probation, for their roles in a scheme that bilked millions of dollars from policyholders, prosecutors said. Michael A. Rubell, 54, the former chairman of Rubell Helm Insurance Services Inc., was sentenced to the prison term, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

Federal authorities have indicted a Fresno insurance executive in connection with an alleged embezzlement scheme at a now-defunct Irvine insurance company. Charles J. McGuirk, 56, was arrested Thursday at his Santa Monica apartment, said Carol Levitsky, public affairs officer for the U.S. attorney's office. McGuirk, owner of Fresno-based National Financial Benefits Administrators Inc., is the third insurance executive associated with Rubell Helm Insurance Services Inc. to face criminal charges.

A federal jury in Los Angeles has convicted three former insurance consultants of conspiracy and fraud in a scheme that a U.S. senator once cited as an example of how some in the industry preyed on small-business owners. The three men, who ran Rubell Helm Insurance Services in Newport Beach, were accused of embezzling $3.4 million from insurance premiums they collected from thousands of employees at small companies in three states. The men--James B. Helm, 44, formerly of Laguna Niguel; Scott K.