Thursday, North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey announced the arrest of 36-year-old James Brian Shaffer of Asheboro.
According to the North Department of Insurance, Shaffer was charged with insurance fraud and attempting to obtain property by false pretense, both felonies.
Agents with the Department of Insurance’s Criminal Investigations Division accuse Shaffer of telling Liberty Mutual Insurance Corp. that his 2007 Chrysler Aspen sustained damage from a single-car crash after he added insurance coverage to the vehicle.
The crash actually occurred earlier between Aug. 15-17, 2020 when Shaffer only had liability coverage on the car.
Special agents and Randolph County deputies arrested Shaffer on April 15 and he was released under a $5,000 unsecured bond.
“Insurance fraud is a crime affecting everyone,” Commissioner Causey said. “Approximately 20% of insurance premium costs go to pay for insurance fraud.”
Since 2017, Commissioner Causey has more than doubled the number of special agents investigating fraud and white-collar crimes. As a result, special agents from 2017 through 2020 have made 1,612 arrests.