Vehicle Thefts Down in Louisiana

Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says Louisiana is “is actively engaged in the prevention of insurance fraud and vehicle theft.” According to the Louisiana Department of Insurance, the number of auto thefts statewide has declined by 37 percent from 15,640 in 2006 to 9,893 in 2010, the latest year for which statistics are available.

The LDI and the Louisiana Automobile Theft and Insurance Fraud Prevention Authority (LATIFPA) recently hosted the 2012 Conference on Insurance Fraud and Vehicle Theft, at which National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) President and CEO Joseph H. Wehrle served as keynote speaker.

In addition, the state’s Legislature in 2012 passed two pieces of legislation that addressed insurance fraud.

Act 201 broadened the reporting requirements of insurance fraud from “fraudulent insurance claims” to “fraudulent insurance acts,” which expands the law to cover any suspected fraud that will be, is being or has been committed.

Act 862, titled the “Sledge Jeansonne Louisiana Insurance Fraud Prevention Act,” allows the Attorney General to file a civil action in Baton Rouge District Court in order to recover losses from a “fraudulent insurance act.” The legislation imposes a fine of $10,000 per occurrence and recovery of actual damages of three times the amount of the fraudulent insurance act.