Former Auto-Owners Claims Manager in NC Charged With Fraud in His Own Claim

A longtime claims manager for Auto-Owners Insurance Co. has been charged with defrauding the company of more than $43,000.

Ian V. Eisnaugle, 41, of Hendersonville, North Carolina, was charged with insurance fraud and forgery in June after he reportedly submitted forged rental invoices for a residence in which he did not live, the NC Department of Insurance said in a bulletin.

Eisnaugle’s Linkedin page shows he was a claims manager, adjuster, and most recently, an arbitrator and trainer at Auto-Owners in the Asheville, North Carolina area. He apparently left the insurer in February of this year, the Linkedin page shows.

The arrest warrant in Henderson County, near Asheville, indicates that Eisnaugle filed a claim with Auto-Owners in September 2024, then submitted the invoices showing he had incurred the rental expenses at a home in Nashville, Tennessee. He was not living at the address during the claim period, according to the arrest warrant, which was signed by an investigator with the NCDOI. Auto-Owners initiated the complaint and investigation, the DOI noted.

“The defendant acted without authority and with the intent to injure and defraud with deceit,” the warrant reads.

Eisnaugle was released on bond after his arrest. A hearing is set for Aug. 25.

He was granted an adjuster license in North Carolina in February of this year, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners license page shows. Eisnaugle could not be reached at the phone number and email address listed on the license page. An Auto-Owners communications manager said the company has no comment about the case.

Topics Auto Fraud Claims North Carolina