Topics Related to NCDOI

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey announced today the arrest of Ashley Waters Lowery, 38, of 188 Owens Chapel Road, Union Mills, NC. Lowery was charged with one count of insurance fraud which is a felony.

According to special agents with the NC Department of Insurance’s Criminal Investigations Division, Lowery attempted to defraud Progressive Insurance Company by issuing false statements in regards to a vehicle collision for automobile insurance.

According to the arrest warrant, Lowery provided oral statements to the insurer on Jan. 10, 2023.

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey announced today the arrest of Jacob Howard Bishop, 29, of 2010 Sandy Mush Road, Marshall, NC. Bishop was charged with accessing computers, a misdemeanor.

According to special agents with the NC Department of Insurance’s Criminal Investigations Division, Bishop signed off on fire fighter training hours for trainees who did not attend class. Bishop is a former firefighter with the Leicester Fire Department.

According to the arrest warrant, Bishop’s offense occurred on Jan. 1, 2018.

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey today announced the arrest of Shaquanda Andrews, 37, of 3980 Sunny Lane Drive, Ayden, NC. Andrews was charged with insurance fraud and attempting to obtain property by false pretense, both felonies. 

According to special agents with the Department of Insurance’s Criminal Investigations Division, Andrews attempted to obtain money from USAA, by filing a false power outage claim, in order to receive a settlement of $500 for food spoilage.

According to the arrest warrants, the offenses occurred on Nov. 15, 2023.

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey today announced the arrest of April Cemillya Thomas, 43, of 121 Wright Court, Vass, NC. Thomas was charged with insurance fraud and obtaining property by false pretense, both felonies. 

According to special agents with the Department of Insurance’s Criminal Investigations Division, Thomas fraudulently and knowingly obtained $8,660 of accident insurance from the American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (AFLAC). 

According to the arrest warrants, the offenses occurred on Jan 18.

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey has issued the following statement in response to recent media reports on the status of insurance rate filings:

“I wish to clear up any confusion regarding recent rate filings from the N.C. Rate Bureau.

NC Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey will join experts from the NCDOI Fraud Control Group, Criminal Investigations Division, SHIIP and other community officials to speak on the affects and precautions of insurance fraud. 

The presentation will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 13 at the Leland Cultural Arts Center, 1212 Magnolia Village Way, Leland, N.C. The event is open to the public and media outlets are invited to join and cover this event.

NC Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey will partner with multiple agencies and the AARP to inform the public about scams and frauds older adults encounter as part of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, which falls on June 15. 

A press conference will be held at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, June 12 at the NC Secretary of State’s Office, 2 S. Salisbury St. Raleigh, N.C. The media is invited to attend and cover this event.

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey today announced the arrest of Mitchell Ketchen Mullen, 49, of 2262 Isaac St., Concord, NC. Mullen was charged with one felony conversion by a bailee, two misdemeanor charges of prohibited practices in bail bonding and one misdemeanor of failure to properly document affidavit for collection. 

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey announced today the arrest of Orin Darnell Johnson, 40, of 9419 Lucy Jane Lane, Charlotte, NC. Johnson was charged with four counts of insurance fraud. All counts are felonies.

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey today announced that Anthony Bernard Sims, 55, of 4114 Planters Watch Drive, Charlotte, was charged with insurance fraud, a felony.

Special agents with the Department of Insurance’s Criminal Investigations Division accuse Sims of submitting multiple automobile insurance claims to Peak Property and Casualty Insurance for the same damage.

According to the criminal summons, Sims was paid for damage to his vehicle on April 27, 2021, but later filed claims for the same damage on March 8, 2022, and June 17, 2022.