Topics Related to NCDOI

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey today announced the arrest of Tanea Aisha Ezell, 27, of 4850 Millsview Court, Raleigh. Ezell was charged with insurance fraud and attempting to obtain property by false pretense, both felonies.

Special agents with the Department of Insurance’s Criminal Investigations Division accuse Ezell of attempting to collect on a claim with Progressive Southeastern Insurance Co. by falsely reporting that her 2015 Honda Civic was stolen.

The offenses occurred between Feb. 21 and March 20.

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey today announced that Kristin Stegall Lewis, 31, of 1071 Old N.C. 515, Wadesboro, was charged with obtaining property by false pretense, a felony, and misdemeanor common law forgery.

Special Agents with the Department of Insurance’s Criminal Investigations Division accuse Lewis of obtaining a $275 payment for a pilot car escort job by presenting an altered liability insurance certificate to her client.

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey kicked off Distracted Driving Awareness month by urging motorists to focus on the job at hand and keep distractions at bay when they get behind the wheel.

“Driving requires a lot of concentration, whether you’re a novice or you’ve logged thousands of miles on the road,” Commissioner Causey said. “I’m asking every driver to focus on the road and not let distractions veer their concentration from safely getting to their destination.”

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey and Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes will hold an Operation Medicine Drop drug take-back event Tuesday, March 30, at the Township 7 Fire Department in New Bern. 

Operation Medicine Drop events are held throughout the state in an effort to curb the state’s opioid crisis and save lives. The Craven County Sheriff’s Office (OMD) drug take-back event will be held from 10 a.m. to noon. Commissioner Causey and Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes will address the media at 11 a.m.

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey today announced that Scotty Warren Miller, 48, of 256 Oakwoods Road, Wilkesboro, was charged with insurance fraud, a felony.

Special agents with the Department of Insurance’s Criminal Investigations Division accuse Miller of providing false dates in a claim with N.C. Farm Bureau Insurance Co. He also failed to provide information regarding a previous claim and payment for damage, according to the criminal summons.

The offense occurred between Jan. 20 and March 23.

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey has established a voluntary cancer registry within the Office of State Fire Marshal to help agency and other officials understand how serious of a health risk cancer is to firefighters and first responders.

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey today announced the arrest of Timothy Aaron Spivey, 40, of 191 Floyd Shoaf Road, Lexington. Spivey is the former fire chief at the Tyro Fire Department in Davidson County.

Special agents with the Department of Insurance’s Criminal Investigations Division accuse Mr. Spivey of submitting a certified fire department roster to the N.C. State Firefighters Association containing false information and overstating the training hours of firefighters in the department.

The North Carolina Rate Bureau has filed a request with the N.C. Department of Insurance to increase insurance rates for mobile home policies.

The NCRB, which represents insurance companies and is not a part of the N.C. Department of Insurance, has requested an overall statewide average of 24.9% increase for MH-F (Fire) policies and an overall statewide average of 11.3% increase for MH-C (Casualty) policies.  Both MH-F and MH-C programs provide property and liability coverage.

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey today announced the arrest of Kathleen Michele Marino, 54, of 393 Cowell Loop Road, Bayboro. Marino was charged with insurance fraud, a felony.

Special agents with the Department of Insurance’s Criminal Investigations Division accuse Marino of filing an insurance claim with Progressive Insurance Co. for damage to her automobile that existed before she took out the policy. A claim for the same damage was filed with National General in November 2020, according to the arrest warrant.

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey will continue his campaign to get smoke alarms in North Carolina homes as he distributes the life-saving alarms to fire departments in Cumberland and Sampson counties on Thursday, March 18.