NU Online News Service, Jan. 27, 11:59 a.m.EST

The North Carolina Department of Insurance (DOI) said 10 peoplewere arrested and six others are being sought in connection with analleged staged auto accident ring.

Brothers Howard Earl Whitfield Jr. and Douglas Whitfield werethe alleged "ringleaders" of the fraudulent scam to stage autoaccidents, the DOI said. Howard Earl Whitfield was apprehended anda warrant has been issued for his brother.

The Whitfield brothers allegedly conspired with family membersand others to stage accidents and file insurance claims foraccidents that never happened.

Universal Insurance, Farm Bureau Insurance of North Carolina,GMAC Insurance, Nationwide Insurance and GEICO paid out about$76,200 in claims related to the fraudulent claims from August 2009to January 2010, the DOI said.

Twenty law enforcement officers are employed by the DOI toinvestigate claims of insurance fraud. The Criminal InvestigationsDivision of the DOI closed more than 400 cases, which resulted inmore than $21.1 million in restitution and recoveries to double theamount from the previous year.

The DOI said investigations resulted in 88 criminal convictionsand 126 arrests.