Louisiana State Police arrested an insurance coverage adjuster Thursday on prices of pocketing greater than $592,000 that he obtained on behalf of seven Hurricane Ida victims in Orleans, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist and Tangipahoa parishes.
Police stated the state Insurance coverage Division tipped them in August to misconduct by Andrew Mitchell, 43, whose Mitchell Adjusting Worldwide LLC is a licensed public adjuster in Louisiana. Property house owners rent public adjusters to barter claims with insurers.
“The investigation revealed that in the course of the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Mitchell started soliciting victims of property injury all through varied parishes in Louisiana,” State Police stated. “After acquiring a better settlement, Mitchell deposited the funds and failed to offer the monies to the home-owner. In a number of conditions, Mitchell cast the home-owner’s signature to acquire the funds.”
Hurricane Ian, which thrashed Florida and the Carolinas final 12 months, has claimed the No. 3 spot.
Hurricane Ida got here ashore close to Port Fourchon on Aug. 29, 2021, and induced injury estimated at $80.2 billion in Louisiana and Mississippi. It’s the sixth-costliest hurricane in U.S. historical past.
Mitchell lives in Clear Lake Shores, Texas, a Galveston suburb. Calls to a phone quantity related to him and to Mitchell Adjusting Worldwide yielded recordings saying the numbers had been not in service.
State Police stated they booked Mitchell on Thursday with two counts of theft in St. Charles Parish, and have warrants to guide him in:
- St. John Parish with three counts of theft and three counts of forgery
- New Orleans with one rely of theft and one rely of forgery
- Tangipahoa Parish with one rely of theft and one rely of forgery.
State Police requested that anybody with info on this scheme or different insurance coverage fraud e-mail them at lsp.insurance coverage.fraud.unit@la.gov.