Causey: EC woman charged with insurance fraud

An Elizabeth City woman has been charged with felony insurance fraud for allegedly trying to collect on the same property damage twice.

Bonnie Fay Keel, 48, of the 100 block of Spindrift Trail, also is charged with a second felony, attempting to obtain property by false pretense, North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey said in a press release Thursday.

According to Causey, Keel is accused of attempting to collect on a vehicle insurance claim with Nationwide by providing photos of damage that had been submitted in a previous claim. Causey said the offenses happened on Oct. 31 of last year.

Special agents with the Department of Insurance's Criminal Investigations Division investigated the case and they, along with Pasquotank sheriff's deputies, arrested Keel on April 1, Causey said.

Keel was issued a $2,500 secured bond.

"Insurance fraud is not a victimless crime," Causey said following Keel's arrest. "It hits all of us in the pocket through higher premiums."