North Carolina Man Charged with 8 Counts of Insurance Fraud

A Raleigh, N.C., man has been charged with eight counts of insurance fraud, eight counts of obtaining property by false pretense, four counts of attempting to obtain property by false pretense and four counts of providing a false statement on an insurance application, according to a statement from North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin.

North Carolina Department of Insurance criminal investigators have accused Howard Barrett Marshall, Jr., 48, with fraudulently obtaining $12,579.96 by filing the same false car insurance claim with MetLife Insurance Co., Progressive Insurance Co., State Farm Insurance, Allstate Insurance and Esurance between January and June 2015.

Investigators allege Marshall filed false claims for a lost watch with State Farm Insurance and for stolen fishing and boating equipment with Seaworthy Insurance in March 2015, collecting $2,587.38, according to NCDOI. Investigators allege the property remained in Marshall’s possession and was later pawned. Marshall is also accused of providing false statements in support of a claim filed with Seaworthy Insurance for damages to his boat in May 2015.

Between January and May 2015, Marshall allegedly provided false information on insurance policy applications to MetLife Insurance Co., State Farm Insurance, Allstate Insurance and Esurance by using a name other than his own.

Marshall was arrested on June 30 in Wake County and placed under a $250,000 bond.

NCDOI employs 20 sworn state law enforcement officers dedicated to investigating and prosecuting claims of insurance and bail bonding fraud. Since Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin took office in 2009, criminal investigators have made more than 1,500 arrests, resulting in more than 750 criminal convictions with more than 250 cases currently pending court. These efforts have delivered more than $72.1 million in restitution and recoveries for victims. An estimated 10 cents of every dollar paid in premiums goes toward the payment of fraudulent claims.

Topics Fraud North Carolina