An Arizona couple has sued Kansas City-based Sunset Financial Services Inc. and one its agents for allegedly misusing the couple’s $1 million investment in a supposed Ponzi scheme.

Jean and Dee Poole filed suit in the U.S. District Court of Nebraska on Wednesday against the subsidiary of Kansas City Life Insurance Co. (Nasdaq: KCLI) and one of its registered agents, Bryan Behrens, who operated a branch of Sunset Financial Services in Nebraska.

Behrens allegedly persuaded the Pooles to invest money with him through a business entity he created in Nevada called National Investments Inc. The Nevada secretary of state revoked National Investments’ corporate status on Dec. 1, 2006.

Behrens allegedly issued a promissory note in writing to the Pooles. He then used the money not for investment but for his personal use or to move money around to other investors to hide the alleged deception that was going on, the lawsuit says.

The Pooles found out that their investments probably were in danger when they discovered that the Securities and Exchange Commission had sued Behrens on Jan. 10.

The Pooles also sued Sunset Financial Services, contending that the company should have seen “numerous red flags” from Behrens’ behavior and stopped it. The suit also points out that other agents for Sunset Financial Services had misappropriated money in recent years in Utah and Hawaii.

An attorney for Sunset Financial Services couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Thursday.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and punitive damages.

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