A former insurance agent from Muscatine has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after a joint investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Ashley Erin Murphy Schneider, 37, pleaded guilty to five counts of wire fraud and two counts of mail fraud in September. An investigation that began in October 2017 revealed that while Schneider was an insurance agent, she created policies using inaccurate information in order to create group policies and obtain coverage. After her termination from AFLAC, Schneider made claims on one of the policies she created that provided supplemental benefits for cancer diagnosis and treatment covering a child. Between Nov. 24, 2015, and Jan. 9, 2017, Schneider filed over 50 claims, receiving benefits of more than $190,000 for cancer treatments for the minor. Subsequent investigation revealed that documentation submitted had been altered to present incorrect patient identifying data. The minor had never actually been diagnosed with or treated for cancer. Along with the prison sentence, Schneider was ordered to serve three years of supervised release following imprisonment, pay a special assessment of $700 to the Crime Victims’ Fund, and repay $197,603.45 in restitution.