N.C. Agents Halt Fraud Ring

Six Chatham and Randolph County, N.C., residents suspected of masterminding an extensive auto insurance fraud ring, which staged an estimated 480 auto crashes and defrauded more than $2 million have been arrested as the result of an investigation launched by Commissioner Jim Long and the North Carolina Department of Insurance.

More than 100 officers participated in the raid, including investigators at the Department of Insurance working with the Siler City Police Department, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, United States Postal Inspector Service and the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Charges included obtaining property using false pretenses, being a habitual felon and conspiracy to obtain property based on false pretenses. Investigators allege the fraud ring may have been part of a larger illegal drug operation. These arrests are only the first in what is expected to be an ongoing investigation.