Man sentenced to 7 years in $2.5M fraud case

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina man has been sentenced to seven years in prison on federal charges that he defrauded church workers out of $2.5 million in health insurance premiums.

William Madison Worthy received that sentence in Greenville on Tuesday. A judge ordered him to undergo treatment for alcoholism and pay restitution, which will be calculated later.

Worthy pleaded guilty last year to insurance crimes affecting interstate commerce. Prosecutors said Worthy and one of his companies collected more than $3.5 million in health premiums between 2004 and 2006.

The government says $1 million in medical claims were paid, but the other $2.5 million was diverted to bank accounts Worthy controlled.

The victim was Fellowship Services, a provider of employment benefits for pastors and church workers.