North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin announced the arrest of David Mark Blanton, 50, Leland, N.C., who is charged with six counts of embezzlement by an insurance agent, two counts of forgery of an instrument and two counts of uttering a forged instrument.
North Carolina Department of Insurance criminal investigators accuse Blanton, as a licensed insurance agent with the NCDOI, of accepting premium payments from United Insurance Co. customers without applying that money towards their policies from October 2012 through November 2013, at times allegedly asking customers to write a check directly to him. Investigators allege Blanton forged checks belonging to United Insurance, fraudulently made them payable to himself and deposited the money into his personal account on two occasions between November 2011 and August 2012.
Blanton was served warrants on Sept. 2 and Sept. 3 in New Hanover County and released on a $125,000 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 Agencies North Carolina
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