LOCUST — Ashley Barnhardt, a 43-year-old insurance agent from Locust, North Carolina, has been charged with 72 felony counts related to defrauding clients by using their personal information to illegally collect commissions on life insurance policies.
The North Carolina Insurance Commissioner, Mike Causey, announced Barnhardt’s arrest, detailing charges including 22 counts of financial identity theft, 25 counts of common law forgery, and 25 counts of obtaining property by false pretense.
Barnhardt appeared before judicial officials in Stanly County and was granted a pre-trial secured bond set at $152,500. She has since posted bond and is awaiting an initial court date scheduled at the Stanly County District Court.
Commissioner Causey expressed concern about the betrayal of trust by an insurance agent, stating, “It’s always disturbing when an agent uses their position to benefit themselves illegally. I’m grateful to our agents for uncovering and pursuing this case. I’ve pledged to fight insurance-related crimes by aggressively pursuing and prosecuting them in North Carolina.”
Investigations by the NC Department of Insurance’s Criminal Investigations Division revealed Barnhardt exploited her position to obtain clients’ and beneficiaries’ personal identifying information. She allegedly manipulated life insurance policy applications to gain financially, collecting fraudulent payments from two separate life insurance companies.
Barnhardt, who owns Barnstormer Insurance Group, LLC, is accused of collecting over $25,000 through these fraudulent activities dating back to 2023.
According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ database, Barnhardt has been a licensed insurance producer since 2019 and was appointed with seven life insurance companies.
Stacy Fulcher, a defense attorney based in Albemarle, has filed a notice of appearance to represent Barnhardt.