Local insurance agent Ashley Barnhardt has been slapped with 72 felony charges, as announced by North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, tied to a complex scheme involving identity theft and insurance fraud in Stanly County. Barnhardt, a 43-year-old from Locust, allegedly took advantage of her professional role to collect clients' personal data without their knowledge, using it to fiddle with policy applications for her own financial benefit; she's been accused of bagging more than $25,000 from life insurance companies via advance commissions she wasn't entitled to.
Commissioner Causey's office, spearheading the investigation, detailed that Barnhardt's illicit activities go back to 2023, and they involved 22 counts of financial identity theft, 25 counts of common law forgery, and 25 counts of obtaining property by false pretense, according to a press release posted on the North Carolina Department of Insurance website, "It’s always disturbing when an agent uses their position to benefit themselves illegally," remarked Commissioner Causey, confirming the deeply rooted misconduct Barnhardt's accused of, and commending the agents who brought the case to light.
The case has now moved to the judicial system with Barnhardt having faced Stanly County officials and her pre-trial bond set at a hefty $152,500; she's scheduled to appear in court again on June 23. Community members with any information on similar misdemeanors are being urged to come forward.
Commissioner Causey's office is stepping up efforts to fight insurance fraud in North Carolina. If you suspect any fraud or white-collar crime, the Department of Insurance encourages you to report it so they can take action and protect the community and honest businesses.
