A Cropwell woman was arrested Thursday (6/18/15) after her indictment on charges of Insurance Fraud.
St. Clair County District Attorney Richard Minor reports that Carolyn Bunt, 46, was charged with First Degree Insurance Fraud after her grand Jury indictment last week.
Minor reported that Bunt was "charged with providing false information, resulting in fraudulent insurance payments in excess of $240,000."
Specifically, Bunt is accused of fabricating bills and submitting them to an insurance company for payment, after the death of her daughter, Meredith Ashley Brown, who died at the age of 21 in 2011.
Alabama State Fire Marshal Ed Paulk, whose Fraud Division of the Alabama Department of Insurance began investigating the case in 2014, elaborated that "Insurance Fraud is a crime and will continue to be vigorously pursued here and elsewhere."
"Fraud such as this is, in effect, stealing; stealing not only from the insurance provider but from all insurance consumers through the higher rates the providers must charge," Paulk added.
Bunt turned herself in to St. Clair County Jail Thursday and was promptly released after posting a $10,000 bond. Her arraignment is set for August.
First Degree Insurance Fraud is a Class B Felony and carries a penalty of two to twenty years in prison.