The criminal codes of each state, including in North Carolina, establish various so-called "white-collar" crimes, including a category of statutory offenses that are modern variations on the traditional crimes of larceny and theft. These statutory offenses often incorporate concepts of criminal fraud. That is why criminal fraud is sometimes defined as larceny by false pretenses or larceny by trick.
The first place to check in determining what statutory theft and fraud statutes exist in a state is that state's criminal code. Many of the fraud and false pretenses crimes are felonies, especially when the property obtained is over a stated minimum amount. This explanation may give some greater understanding of the charges currently faced by a Lenoir County woman who the authorities allege filed over 200 false cancer insurance claims in an amount in excess of $230,000.
Police arrested the 60-year-old suspect last month on two felony counts of insurance fraud and two felony counts of obtaining property by false pretenses over $100,000. With four felonies hanging over her head, she faces a potentially lengthy prison sentence. They allege that she presented false cancer claims by submitting false written and oral forms, according to officials of the North Carolina Department of Insurance.
She allegedly made the claims between 2009 and 2017 but did not have a diagnosis or treatment for cancer at any time during that period. She allegedly obtained $231,306.25 in the alleged criminal fraud scam. If sufficient evidence to convict supports the charges, the sheer number of claims allegedly filed by the woman militates in favor of a negotiated plea bargain. The sensible way to get the lowest sentence is to cooperate fully and early in the proceedings; that approach in North Carolina can go a long way in freeing the court to fashion a sentence that is effective but at least partially rehabilitative in nature.
Source: wcti12.com, "Lenoir County woman charged with filing over 200 fraudulent cancer insurance claims", Elizabeth Roman, April 24, 2018