HAMLET — The N.C. Department of Insurance has filed fraud charges against a Richmond County resident.
DOI investigators allege that 45-year-old Clayton Ryan Holmes, of Hamlet, filed a claim on his homeowner’s policy with Erie Insurance for a Bobcat Skid Steer — valued at $157,256 — on March 25, 2022.
According to investigators, Holmes said he had obtained the Bobcat from someone who was deceased. However, agents reportedly determined that person was still alive and denied giving the equipment to Holmes.
Holmes was arrested Jan. 30 and charged with one felony count each of insurance fraud and attempted obtaining property by false pretenses. Court records show he was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond and is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 13.
Records with the N.C. Department of Adult Correction show this isn’t Holmes’ first time being charged in a fraud case.
In 2021, Holmes was convicted in Moore County on six counts each of identity fraud and obtaining property by false pretenses. Similar charges in Hamlet were dropped as part of a plea agreement, court records show.
“Insurance fraud is not a victimless crime,” Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey said in a press release. “It hits all of us in the pocket through higher premiums.”
According to the DOI website, there were 406 arrests and 218 convictions related to insurance fraud in 2024, resulting in $22.1 million in restitution and recovery.
Causey held a town hall at Leath Memorial Library in 2024 to warn residents of insurance fraud.
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All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
