The Nevada attorney general’s insurance fraud unit says while losses from a state insurance agent accused of submitting fraudulent policies is small, the cost to insurers and his alleged victims is big.

Bradley Buchanan, 38, faces four counts of insurance fraud, four counts of forgery and two counts of using the identification information of another following his recent arrest, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Buchanan is accused of submitting fake policies under the names of family members, acquaintances from his church and others to collect commissions and bonuses from October to December 2008.

Nevada attorney general investigators allege Buchanan, working as an independent agent, wrote policies for his common-law wife, her ex-husband, the two children they have in common and Buchanan’s stepfather, unbeknownst to any of them.

Court documents indicate that Buchanan initially made payments on the policies using checks from his wife’s bank account, which all bounced, resulting in no payments being made, according to the report.

Fraud investigators say Buchanan’s gains from the alleged scheme was small – including a commission of $26.70 for his wife’s policy – but was more costly to insurers in terms of investigations and audits. Buchanan’s alleged victims also paid dearly, facing inappropriate billing, collections and damage to their credit.

Two companies, not named in the report, have terminated their working relationship with Buchanan, including one who stated he claimed stolen artwork valued at thousands of dollars when it was worth much less, according to officials.