North Carolina Man Arrested on Insurance Fraud Charges

North Carolina officials arrested a Winterville, N.C. man and charged him with four counts each of insurance fraud, identity theft and obtaining property by false pretense, according to Insurance Commissioner Jim Long.

An investigator with the Department of Insurance arrested Jose Luis Salas-Perez, 31, May 14 and detained him at the Pitt County Detention Center under a $30,000 bond. Long said.

Salas-Perez, previously charged with identity theft and providing false information to the DMV, is accused of using a false identity to purchase automobile insurance, according to Long.

Investigators allege that in 1999, Salas-Perez obtained a driver’s license under the name Ronald Cruz Ortiga. Between 2002 and 2007, he allegedly used that name to insure the four vehicles he owned.

Salas-Perez was originally arrested for the identity theft charges in 2007; later, prosecutors notified Department of Insurance officials of the possibility of insurance fraud in the case.

Source: North Carolina Department of Insurance