Sylva man faces insurance fraud, attempted false pretense charges

North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey today announced the arrest of Noah Zachary Daniel Saunier, 30, of 1517 Little Savanah Road, Sylva. Saunier was charged with three counts of insurance fraud and three counts of attempting to obtain property by false pretense, all felonies.<_o3a_p>

All six charges relate to claims filed with three insurance companies involving his 2022 Audi, valued at $161,000.<_o3a_p>

Special agents with the Department of Insurance's Criminal Investigations Division accuse Saunier of falsely reporting to GEICO Insurance Co. that he crashed his Audi on March 29, three hours after an automobile insurance policy was issued to his mother.<_o3a_p>

Special agents also noticed that the GEICO claim was similar to a claim Saunier filed a few days later, on April 1, with Progressive Corp.<_o3a_p>

According to arrest warrants, Saunier told Progressive that he crashed his Audi on Jan. 26 but waited until April 1 to report the claim. Special agents determined that the Audi was in the possession of Audi of Asheville from Jan. 17 to Feb. 5, when Saunier claimed the crash occurred.<_o3a_p>

Special agents also accuse Saunier of falsely telling Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. that he left his car on the side of a Biltmore Forest road because of a flat tire. When he returned, the car was missing. According to arrest warrants, Saunier later reported that he located his vehicle in Asheville, but would not provide further details.<_o3a_p>

Saunier was arrested on Sept. 24 and released on $30,000 unsecured bond.<_o3a_p>

Commissioner Causey encourages North Carolinians to help keep insurance premiums low by reporting suspicious fraud.<_o3a_p>

"Insurance fraud is not a victimless crime," Commissioner Causey said. "It hits all of us in the pocket through higher premiums."<_o3a_p>

If you suspect insurance fraud or other white-collar crimes, please report it. You may anonymously report fraud by calling the N.C. Department of Insurance Criminal Investigations Division at 919-807-6840 or toll free from anywhere in North Carolina at 888-680-7684.<_o3a_p>

Information is also available at https://www.ncdoi.gov.<_o3a_p>

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