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RALEIGH – A yearlong investigation has resulted in the arrest of a Bertie County man for insurance fraud and other charges.

On Wednesday of this week, North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey announced the arrest of William Timothy Alston, 63, of Republican Road, Windsor, for multiple counts of insurance fraud, obtaining property by false pretense, forgery, and uttering a forged endorsement. All four are felonies.

On Feb. 29, Special Agents with the NC Department of Insurance Criminal Investigations Division served Alston with 11 arrest warrants resulting from a 12-month investigation in cooperation with the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office and the 7th Prosecutorial District Attorney’s Office.

Alston is alleged to have assumed the identity of several individuals and taken out life insurance policies in their names, totaling $1.86 million with nine different insurance companies. Alston submitted 38 policy claims after those individuals passed away and received payouts totaling over $140,000.

Alston was released from a Bertie County courthouse under a $50,000 unsecured bond, with an order to appear in district court.

“This was a major case and I’m proud of the cooperation between our agents and our partners in law enforcement,” Causey said. “Approximately 20 cents of every insurance premium dollar go to covering the cost of fraud. I’m fighting this by aggressively pursuing and prosecuting insurance fraud in North Carolina.”

If you suspect insurance fraud or other white-collar crimes, please report it. You may anonymously report fraud by calling the N.C. Department of Insurance Criminal Investigations Division at 919-807-6840 or toll-free at 855-408-1212.