A Wilson, N.C. woman has been arrested after collecting thousands of dollars from her insurance company for a robbery that never actually happened.
Authorities allege that Leslie Michelle Nowell, 30, said a robbery supposedly took place while she was working at her store, Divine D?cor & Gift. Nowell promptly filed a false police report and stated that assorted jewelry, pocket books, and cash were lifted during the theft.
According to the arrest warrants, Nationwide Insurance subsequently paid Nowell a total of $6,693 for the associated claims. From outward appearances, Nowell's traumatic ordeal was over upon receipt of those two checks from Nationwide. In actuality, however, the scamming entrepreneur's saga was just beginning. After receiving a tip, the Department of Insurance Criminal Investigations Division opened an investigation, during the course of which Nowell's story unraveled.
Nowell faces two counts each of insurance fraud and obtaining property by false pretense. The office of North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin reports that she was processed at the Wilson County Jail and placed under a $1,000 secured bond.
The North Carolina Department of Insurance employs 20 sworn law enforcement officers dedicated to investigating claims of insurance fraud. In 2009, these criminal investigators saw more than 413 cases successfully closed, with more than $10.5 million in restitution and recoveries, 89 criminal convictions and 175 arrests.
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