North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey announced the arrest of Toni Lee Smith, 45, of 5051 Sandy Banks Road, Raleigh. Smith is charged with two counts of insurance fraud, one count of attempting to obtain property by false pretense and one count of obtaining property by false pretense. All charges are felonies.
According to special agents with the NC Department of Insurance’s Criminal Investigations Division, Smith filed a homeowners insurance claim with Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Company, using falsified documents to inflate the amount of money that would be received during the claims process. The total value of the claim was $7,220.09.
The incident occurred on Sept. 2, 2023, according to the warrant.
Smith turned herself in on May 27, and was later released on a secured $10,000 bond. She appeared in Wake County District Court on May 28.
“Insurance fraud hits consumers in the wallet,” Commissioner Causey said. “Approximately 20 cents of every insurance premium dollar goes to covering the cost of fraud. I’m fighting this by aggressively pursuing and prosecuting insurance fraud in North Carolina.”
If you suspect insurance fraud or other white-collar crimes, please report it. You may anonymously report fraud by calling the N.C. Department of Insurance Criminal Investigations Division at 919-807-6840 or toll free from anywhere in North Carolina at 888-680-7684.
Information is also available at www.ncdoi.gov.