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A Jonesboro woman is facing insurance fraud charges after investigators alleged she diverted customers' cash premium payments to help cover her personal expenses.

Kelsi Mercer, 36, is being held at the Greene County Detention Center after District Court Judge Curtis Hitt found probable cause on Sept. 24 to charge her with two counts of fraudulent insurance acts, each classified as a Class D felony.

The allegations center on cash payments Mercer reportedly collected while working at the Arkansas Farm Bureau's Greene County branch last year. Investigators say what appeared to be ordinary premium transactions eventually revealed a trail of reversed payments and unpaid balances.

Kelsi Mercer Insurance Fraud Investigation Begins

According to an affidavit by Dylan Hawkins of the state's Insurance Fraud Investigation Division, Mercer collected insurance premiums from customers and entered their payments into the company's system between April 2023 and August 2025.

The investigation came into focus after Mercer was terminated in August 2025 for what the company described as "continuous no-call/no-show absences."

After her departure, investigators identified irregularities involving cash insurance premium payments.

The issue surfaced when customers contacted the company after receiving notices indicating they were short on their premiums — even though they said they had already paid the full amounts and had receipts to prove it.

Investigators Trace Reversed Cash Payments

Hawkins said a review of the transactions showed that Mercer had reversed cash payment amounts on the same days customers made the payments.

The transactions did not always remain reversed indefinitely.

"On some of these transactions, the balance would be reapplied later, usually within three weeks," Hawkins said in the affidavit.

However, investigators identified four transactions in which the amounts Mercer reversed were never restored to the customers' accounts.

The unrecovered balance totaled $650.03, according to Hawkins.

That relatively small dollar amount became the thread investigators pulled to examine what happened to the customers' money.

Mercer Allegedly Admitted Taking the Cash

Investigators later interviewed Mercer at her residence.

Hawkins said Mercer acknowledged that she had accepted cash payments from customers while working at the insurance agency. At the time of the interview, Mercer reportedly said she was living near Greene County while also maintaining another residence in Jonesboro.

When investigators questioned her about the missing funds, Hawkins said Mercer acknowledged responsibility.

"It was me," Mercer reportedly said.

According to the affidavit, Mercer told investigators that she was struggling to afford her expenses and began taking money from cash payments handed to her by customers.

She Initially Intended to Repay the Money

Hawkins said Mercer explained that she used the money to pay her personal bills.

The affidavit alleges Mercer initially intended to replace the funds she had taken, suggesting that she expected to eventually restore the missing money to the customers' accounts.

But investigators said that did not happen.

Mercer reportedly told Hawkins that she ultimately did not have enough money to repay what she had taken.

As a result, the missing funds remained unpaid, leading investigators to pursue the allegations that eventually brought the case before the court.

Charges Now Move Through Greene County Court

Judge Curtis Hitt's Sept. 24 probable-cause finding allows the two fraudulent insurance act charges against Mercer to proceed.

The charges are classified as Class D felonies under Arkansas law.

The case centers on allegations tied specifically to cash insurance premium payments handled during Mercer's employment at the Arkansas Farm Bureau branch in Greene County.

For investigators, the case began with customers questioning unexpected notices on their accounts and ended with an alleged admission about what happened to their cash.

Mercer remains in the Greene County Detention Center as the criminal case moves forward.