A Coffee County jury convicted James Sirmans of insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud this week. Sirmans, along with former funeral home director Chris Johnson, were indicted on the charges nearly a year and a half ago.
Johnson has been in jail since October of 2024 after 18 decomposing bodies were found in his funeral home, Johnson Funeral & Cremation Services.
Prior to the bodies being found in the funeral home, Johnson had been under investigation for allegedly changing the cause of death on a death certificate. Johnson allegedly changed the cause of death in order to receive a larger insurance payout.
On July 29, 2022, Jessie Williams, a cousin of Sirmans, passed away after a battle with cancer. Sirmans had taken out an insurance policy on Williams and stood to receive a $9,000 death benefit if Williams passed away due to an accident and not cancer.
In order to receive the payout, Sirmans and Johnson allegedly conspired to change the cause of death to blunt force trauma as a result of a bicycle accident. Sirmans was indicted for insurance fraud and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud in connection with this incident. Johnson was indicted on those two charges as well as forgery in the first degree and violation of vital records registration. According to the indictment, Johnson changed Williams’s cause of death to accidental and prepared a death certificate stating as such.
Sirmans’s trial is the first one involving anything related to Johnson’s case. The trial began Tuesday and wrapped up on Thursday with the convictions. Johnson has not been tried for any of his alleged crimes and remains in the Coffee County Jail.
Sirmans will be sentenced on June 25, 2026. The maximum sentence for insurance fraud is 10 years in prison and/or a fine of $10,000. The maximum sentence for conspiracy to commit insurance fraud is five years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine.
