Insurance agent charged with fraud

Jessica Brandy Hinnant, 28, of 612 S. First St. in Smithfield, was charged with 10 counts of obtaining property by false pretense and one count of insurance fraud. She was being held Monday in the Johnston County Detention Center under a $50,000 secured bond.

Hinnant surrendered her insurance agent's license to the state Department of Insurance last June.

DOI investigators said Hinnant was working for Aflac when she reported that she suffered from carpel tunnel syndrome and that her husband sustained physical injuries from falling down the stairs in their home. She submitted numerous disability claims to Aflac between February 2004 and October 2007 and received claim checks totaling $34,921, officials said.

Aflac representatives questioned the validity of the claims and turned the case over to DOI investigators after Hinnant's husband contacted the company to determine whether any claims had been filed against his policy.