4 in North Carolina Arrested on Auto Insurance Fraud Charges Four people have been arrested in North Carolina for their alleged involvement in a series of automobile insurance fraud schemes worth more than $9,000, according to state officials. Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin said each was processed at the Pitt County Detention Center: -Derrick Vontrell Lewis, Greenville, was charged with four felony counts of obtaining property by false pretense, four felony counts of insurance fraud and three felony counts of conspiracy. He was placed under a $3,000 secured bond. -Tanisha Learnell Williams, Greenville, was charged with three felony counts of obtaining property by false pretense, three felony counts of insurance fraud and three felony counts of conspiracy. She was placed under a $3,000 secured bond -Angela Harris Williams, Greenville, was charged with two counts of obtaining property by false pretense, two felony counts of insurance fraud and one felony count of conspiracy. She was placed under a $10,000 unsecured bond. -Sharon Williams Davis, Greenville, was charged with one felony count of obtaining property by false pretense and
one felony count of insurance fraud. She was placed under a $5,000 unsecured bond. Department investigators allege that in 2008 and 2009, Lewis, Tanisha Williams and Angela Williams filed fraudulent vandalism claims to GEICO Insurance Co., GMAC Insurance Co. and Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. They are accused of filing multiple vandalism claims for the same damage on a vehicle. They are also accused of filing a false claim of a two-car accident to GEICO. Sharon Davis is accused of filing a fraudulent claim to Nationwide Insurance for a bogus hit-and-run accident. As a result of the claims, officials said GEICO paid out approximately $4,140.74, GMAC paid out approximately $3,296.11, Liberty Mutual paid out approximately $1,074.31, and Nationwide paid out approximately $817.36, for a total payout of $9,328.52.
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Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has signed one law imposing new restrictions on drivers in his state and another is awaiting his signature. In addition, Jindal has agreed to repeal an increase in drivers license fees that was enacted earlier this year. Louisiana's current ban on text messaging while driving gets tougher in August, when a bill that makes texting while driving a primary offense goes into effect. Under Senate Bill 9, police officers can stop a driver for that traffic violation without needing another reason. Minors 17 and under can be stopped simply for using a cell phone. The change takes effect Aug. 15. Before that, a driver can only be cited for texting while driving if a police officer stops the driver for another alleged violation. Penalties for sending text messages while behind the wheel, with an exception for emergencies, can reach up to $175 for the first offense and $500 for subsequent offenses. A House vote also has sent to Jindal a bill imposing new restrictions and requirements for young drivers. House Bill 1339 by Rep. Hollis Downs, R-Ruston, takes effect Jan. 1. It
says that drivers who want to move up from a learner's permit to a driver's license will have to have 50 hours of driving experience with a parent, guardian or adult, instead of the current requirement of 35 hours. The extra 15 hours must be driven at night. Also, licensed 16-year-olds driving without adult supervision will be prohibited from carrying more than one passenger under age 21, except for family members, between the hours of 6 p.m. and 5 a.m. The cost of a Louisiana driver's license will drop by $15, after Gov. Bobby Jindal agreed to repeal the recent increase enacted by his administration and overwhelmingly rejected by lawmakers. Jindal signed the repeal bill by Sen. Joe McPherson into law. The move returns the price of a new or renewed basic license to $21.50 and ends complaints from lawmakers who said the hike was inappropriate by a governor who repeatedly talks of opposing tax increases. The governor had wanted $13.6 million annually to be raised by the higher fee to help cover costs for state police. SB9, SB 407 and HB 1339 can be found at www.legis.state.la.us
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8 AUGUST 2010 AUTOBODY NEWS | www.autobodynews.com
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