North Carolina Teacher Arrested, Charged with Faking Insurance Claim

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin reported the arrest of Chinell Jray Blount, of Durham, on charges of insurance fraud and attempting to obtain property by false pretense.

According to the investigation, Blount, a high school teacher in Wake County, filed claims with her insurance company for an alleged residential burglary in January. The claims totaled $38,723.25 for alleged stolen household items.

According Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Co., Blount was asked to provide receipts for the stolen items. Investigators say she instead gave the company several computer print-outs, many from Rent-A-Centers in Durham. An investigator with Liberty Mutual found several of the items Blount claimed stolen were actually still in the store.

Then in April, Blount reported a second burglary of her residence and $3,000 of property stolen. According to the investigation, one of the alleged items stolen was a laptop computer belonging to the Wake County School system that had been reported stolen to the school a month earlier.

Liberty Mutual denied both claims, but did pay Blount more than $6,000 in property damage. Blount turned herself into to the Durham County Jail and was placed under a $10,000 unsecured bond, according to officials.