North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey today announced the arrest of Brody Alan Hankinson, 48, of 105 Whispering Pines Drive, Marion.
Hankinson is charged with insurance fraud and three counts of extortion, which are felonies. He is also charged with three counts of communicating threats and three counts of placing threatening phone calls, which are misdemeanors.
According to special agents with the NC Department of Insurance’s Criminal Investigations Division, Hankinson filed false information on an auto insurance policy claim with Farm Bureau and later demanded immediate payment, including reimbursement payments for massage therapy sessions.
NCDOI agents state that he threatened to kill or injure three different insurance agents with Farm Bureau unless they released the funds from the claim to him immediately. He also is charged with making threatening phone calls to them, stating he intended to ruin their lives and business.
The incidents occurred on July 12, 2024, according to the warrant.
Hankinson was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida and extradited on April 10. He was released on a $180,000 secured bond and appeared in McDowell County District Court on April 14.
“I would like to thank our agents and other law enforcement agencies who helped to bring this potentially violent offender in,” Commissioner Causey said. “Insurance fraud touches many lives and can often be found paired with other criminal activity. I’m fighting this by aggressively pursuing and prosecuting insurance fraud and other related crimes 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 from anywhere in North Carolina at 888-680-7684.
Information is also available at www.ncdoi.gov.