Tift County man charged with insurance fraud, arson [The Albany Herald, Ga.]

Apr. 11—ATLANTA — Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King announced Tuesday that Antoniyo Bennett, 43, of Tifton, has been charged with insurance fraud and first-degree arson.

On March 30, investigators from the State Fire Marshal's Office responded to the scene of a residential structure fire that occurred on March 15 on Oakridge Church Road in Tifton. Investigators were later given information from representatives of State Farm Insurance of potential illicit activity. The insurance company received a tip from an anonymous caller.

"A search warrant executed by our agency at a storage unit on April 7 led to the discovery of numerous articles of clothing and household items reported to have been destroyed in the fire," King said in a news release. "Investigators also found a large number of controlled substances in the unit, including marijuana and fentanyl, which were reported to the Tift County Drug Enforcement Unit."

Bennett was taken into custody on April 7. Tift County Fire Rescue and the Tift County Sheriff's Office assisted in the investigation.

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