North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey today announced the arrest of Heather Ann Robinson, 37, of 7354 N.C. Highway 42 W., Kenly, on 86 counts of insurance fraud, 46 counts of identity theft, 38 counts of obtaining or attempting to obtain property by false pretense. She was also charged with 20 counts of practicing medicine without a license, which are misdemeanors. The other 170 charges are felonies.
According to special agents with the N.C. Department of Insurance’s Criminal Investigations Division, Robinson’s arrest was the result of a six-month long investigation following the search of her residence on May 12.
Special agents accuse Robinson of filing fraudulent insurance claims with two different insurance companies and attempting to support these claims with fabricated medical records and receipts. According to arrest warrants, Robinson collected $87,415 from the claims and attempted to collect an additional $157,303.93.
Special agents also accuse Robinson of stealing several individual’s identities and using them to open credit card accounts, make multiple purchases and withdraw retirements savings.
Warrants also accuse Robinson of stealing GLP-1 weight loss medication from a local business and using some of the identities she had stolen to open accounts with drug companies out of state to acquire additional GLP-1 weight loss medication. Robinson then sold this medication to members of the community, according to warrants.
Robinson turned herself into the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office on Oct. 8 and was released on a $100,000 secured bond. She appeared in Wilson County District Court on Oct. 9.
“I’m grateful to our agents for bringing a resolution to this long and complex investigation, which included thousands of pieces of evidence,” Commissioner Causey said. “We know that identity theft can be a scary and confusing crime to be a victim of, and our office is working hard to prosecute all insurance-related crimes to fullest extent possible.”
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.