North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey has organized a Criminal Investigations Reserve Unit to combat fraud cases in the state.
The new inductees are four veteran law enforcement personnel: a former sheriff and retired state trooper, a former police chief and expert investigator, a money laundering expert and Alcohol Law Enforcement ("ALE") officer, and an arson investigator and SWAT, fire, and emergency management expert.
Special Agent Tom Anderson is a 27-year law enforcement veteran who started his career as a patrol officer with the Statesville Police Department and rose through the ranks to become the chief of police from 2008 until 2015. Mr. Anderson served in multiple law enforcement assignments that included patrol operations, criminal investigations-internal affairs, special operations, and community services. In 2015, he began serving in a newly created position as public safety risk manager with the North Carolina League of Municipalities.
Special Agent Lauren Burch is a 13-year veteran of law enforcement from Carteret County and a former ALE agent. She holds several certifications including an advanced law enforcement certificate. She has served on numerous task forces including the IRS money laundering task force.
Special Agent Robert A. Graves has 39 years of experience in law enforcement. After retiring as lieutenant in the State Highway Patrol, he continued to serve as a reserve deputy with the Randolph County Sheriff's office to ultimately become the Randolph County sheriff.
Special Agent Robert W. McLaughlin Jr. has 26 years of both law enforcement and public safety experience. He gained SWAT, fire, and EMT experience while serving with both the Durham Fire Department as arson investigator and the Durham Police Department as a lieutenant. After leaving Durham, he worked for North Carolina Central University Police as the emergency management coordinator and tactical trainer.
The NCDOI's criminal investigators are sworn, state law enforcement officers authorized to carry firearms, make arrests, conduct searches, and present cases at all levels of prosecution. They work in cooperation with the insurance industry, state and federal law enforcement agencies, and prosecutors. They investigate crimes involving insurance fraud, and criminal violations that deal with bail bonding.
Learn more: https://www.ncdoi.com/Investigations.
Victoria Spears
Victoria Prussen Spears is senior vice president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc., a law firm marketing communications consulting company. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and Brooklyn Law School, Ms. Spears was an attorney at a leading New York City law firm before joining Meyerowitz Communications. She may be contacted at [email protected].