SC Police Officer and Recruit Agree to Avoid Cop Work After False Insurance Claim

A South Carolina police officer and his roommate, a police department recruit, will face only misdemeanor penalties after agreeing to avoid law enforcement work for the rest of their lives. The plea agreement came after the two were charged with insurance fraud in connection with at least one auto accident and two wild stories.

The Charleston Post and Courier and WCSC TV reported that Armani Ellison, 26, a North Charleston police officer at the time, and his roommate, Tariq Rishi Jeremy Ramkalup, 27, reported to Ramkalup’s insurer that the two were driving separate cars in 2021 and nearly collided, causing an accident. Ramkalup filed a $15,000 claim and told the insurer that the two men did not know each other, according to police information.

After an investigation by state police, Ellison acknowledged that he was driving Ramkalup’s Mercedes-Benz and wrecked it in a one-car accident. Under questioning, though, Ramkalup attempted to claim that another vehicle had run Ramkalup’s car off the road. The “intoxicated” Ellison was driving and he fired eight shots at the other motorist, then left the scene, the recruit told investigators, according to records examined by the newspaper.

The two were charged with presenting false claims, along with misconduct in office. They pleaded guilty July 25 to a misdemeanor, agreed to pay $3,000 in fines and civil penalties, and promised to find a new line of work.