North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey announced the arrest of Nichloas McArthur Bennett, 43, of 419 Beasley Dr., Greenville, on Aug. 16, 2024. At the time, Bennett was charged in Pitt County with two counts of identity theft and one count of obtaining property by false pretense.
Following Bennett’s arrest, the investigation continued, and additional victims and crimes were identified.
According to special agents with the NC Department of Insurance’s Criminal Investigations Division, Bennett unlawfully used the identity of five different individuals to fraudulently obtain insurance agent licenses.
Bennett used the licenses to write over 500 fraudulent life insurance policies for various individuals, attempting to receive advanced commissions from eleven insurance companies.
At the conclusion of the investigation, the case was reviewed by the NC Department of Insurance’s Criminal Legal Services. This resulted in Bennett being indicted on multiple counts of obtaining property by false pretense and identity theft.
On June 5, Bennett entered a plea agreement where he pled guilty to 22 counts of obtaining property by false pretense, 12 counts of identity theft and two counts of attempted identity theft. All charges are felonies.
Bennett was sentenced to be incarcerated for a minimum of 72 months to a maximum of 142 months. At the conclusion of his incarceration, he will serve two probationary judgments, with a total suspended sentence of 16 months minimum to 38 months maximum, which will be suspended for a period of 48 months of supervised probation. As part of his probation terms, Bennett is ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $320,596.
This case highlights the successful collaboration of NCDOI special agents and NCDOI special prosecutors in fighting fraud for the citizens of North Carolina.
“Thank you to our special agents and prosecutors for their extra attention to this case,” Commissioner Causey said. “Our office continues to fight insurance-related crimes in North Carolina through aggressive investigation and prosecution.”
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.