ROCKINGHAM — A Richmond County attorney is facing a felony fraud charge from a state agency.
According to the N.C. Department of Insurance, 52-year-old Joseph Eric Altman “falsely verified an insurance form while acting as a notary.”
No other details are available in the press release or the warrant.
The alleged incident occurred on Aug. 20, 2024, according to the arrest warrant issued June 10.
Special agents with DOI collaborated with the N.C. Secretary of State’s office, according to a press release.
“Insurance fraud hits consumers in the wallet,” Commissioner Mike Causey said in a statement. “Approximately 20 cents of every insurance premium dollar goes to covering the cost of fraud. I’m fighting this by aggressively pursuing and prosecuting insurance fraud in North Carolina.”
The release states Altman was arrested the same day the warrant was issued. However, court records show Altman was served at 4:50 p.m. June 11 by a deputy with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.
Altman was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond and is scheduled to appear in court July 10.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The N.C. State Bar currently does not list a scheduled disciplinary hearing for Altman. However, records show he has been disciplined several times in the past.
Altman was reprimanded in 2013 for three cases involving “professional misconduct.”
In 2018, he was suspended from practicing law for two years for revealing client information without consent in two criminal cases and several trust account violations.
This past December, Altman was censured by the State Bar for failing to “adequately communicate” with a client in a divorce case.
