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The Man Who Wouldn’t Die – The Bizarre Depression Era Crime That Shaped How Our Insurance Works

Khalid Elhassan June 2, 2025 17 min

A young Michael Malloy, left, and his killers. I09

2. Ethical Reforms

Malloy - Death certificate signed by Dr. Frank Mazella — Death certificate signed by Dr. Frank Mazella. New York City Municipal Archives

The Malloy case revealed not just serious flaws in the insurance industry, but also ethical shortfalls in a number of professions. An insurance agent knowingly allowed fraudulent policies to be taken out. To hide a homicide, a doctor was bribed to falsify the death certificate, and an undertaker colluded to cover up the murder. As a result, licensing and ethical standards for medical professionals and insurance agents were re-examined, and organizations implemented internal auditing systems to prevent collusion and detect fraud.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.