BRIEF: Charlotte couple charged in insurance case

Sept. 16--State insurance officials have accused a Charlotte man of issuing what agents called "unauthorized" claim checks and funneling the money into his wife's bank account.

Claymonte Rashawn McNeill, 36, was arrested Thursday and charged with obtaining property by false pretense. His wife, Michelle McLaughlin McNeill, 39, was charged with the same offense, according to court records.

The state insurance commissioner's office said Claymonte McNeill was employed as a claim representative for State Farm Insurance. Between October 2012 and November 2013, agents said, McNeill issued 13 claim drafts totaling nearly $70,000.

Investigators said the money was deposited into a bank account in his wife's name.

The insurance commissioner's office said it has made more than 1,000 arrests in the past 5 1/2 years, with more than 500 convictions and an additional 200 cases pending trial.

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