NOVI, Mich. – Robert Joseph Bucko, 70, of Novi, was arraigned on Oct. 31 in the Oakland County 52-1 District Court for allegedly forging letters from his insurance clients to embezzle funds.
Bucko, who owned and operated the Stevenson Company insurance agency in Oakland County, has been charged with:
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- Two counts of Embezzlement by an Agent $100,000 or More, each a 20-year felony;
- One count of False Pretenses $50,000 or More but Less Than $100,000, a 15-year felony;
- One count of False Pretenses $20,000 or More but Less Than $50,000, a 15-year felony;
- Seven counts of Insurance Fraud, each a four-year felony; and
- Three counts of Taxes – Failure to File, each a five-year felony.
The 70-year-old man allegedly collected full insurance premiums from eight municipalities but remitted only a quarter or one-half of those premiums to the insurer, embezzling the remaining funds for his personal use.
Court documents revealed the alleged scheme relied on using premium payments from new clients to replace and fund previous accounts.
Bucko reportedly owed the insurer more than $400,000 in unpaid premiums when the alleged scheme was discovered.
It is further alleged that Bucko overcharged municipalities and failed to file Michigan income tax returns from 2021 to 2023.
Bucko will next appear in the Oakland County 52-1 District Court on Nov. 12, 2025.