Arrest Warrants Issued For Shop Owner, Insurance Adjuster In Fraud Case

July 15--Arrest warrants have been issued for a Macon auto repair shop owner and an insurance claims adjuster in a $12,000 insurance fraud case that involved fake claims filed on real policyholder's accounts.

William Emerson Scruggs, 53, owner of Diamond Auto Painting on Broadway, and former Nationwide Insurance Company claims adjuster Patrick Renaldo Dixon, 41, allegedly schemed to generate fake repair claims in the names of Nationwide policy holders in 2010 and 2011, said Glenn Allen, a spokesman for the state Insurance Commissioner's office.

The duo also filed fake supplemental claims that followed legitimate filings.

Once the phony claims were submitted, checks were issued to Diamond Auto Painting. When the checks were cashed, Scruggs and Dixon split the money, he said.

Dixon and Scruggs each have been charged with 23 counts of insurance fraud and 23 counts of forgery, Allen said.

The fraud was discovered when a Nationwide policyholder contacted her agent after receiving a notice of a premium increase, he said.

Allen said 23 policyholders were affected and each has "been made whole."

Dixon was hired by State Farm Insurance after resigning from Nationwide. He has been suspended from State Farm, Allen said.

To contact writer Amy Leigh Womack, call 744-4398.

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