Insurance Agent Sentenced in North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Embezzlement Case

February 15, 2010, by Michael A. DeMayo

A former North Carolina Workers’ Compensation insurance agent, Terri Lynn Spence, has been sentenced to four years of supervised probation and a full year of house arrest (under electronic surveillance) for multiple counts of embezzlement, according to North Carolina officials.

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner, Wayne Goodwin, publicized Ms. Spence’s sentencing at a news conference. The 34-year-old Emerald Isle resident was ordered to pay more than $46,000 in court fees and restitution to victims of her scheme. All told, 16 different insurance companies and 43 individuals were financially impacted.

Ms. Spence “obtained property by false pretences,” according to investigators at the Department of Insurance, who contacted police officers in La Grange to bust the embezzler back in June 2008. Most of the policies embezzled were North Carolina Workers’ Compensation policies (along with some homeowners’ policies). State officials do not believe that Ms. Spence worked in conjunction with any other entity or syndicate. But her arrest, trial, and sentencing likely have not gone unnoticed by others who would seek to embezzle or otherwise defraud the North Carolina Workers’ Compensation system.

If you or a family member has had trouble collecting your North Carolina Workers’ Compensation benefits, or if you are having any issues filing paperwork, dealing with your employer, managing negotiations with your insurance company, or talking to your physician or rehabilitation specialist about billing, go over your concerns with a qualified North Carolina Workers’ Compensation attorney.

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Terri Lynn Spence

Wayne Goodwin