Six Ouachita Parish residents have been arrested following an investigation into a years-long insurance fraud scheme involving falsified fire and water damage claims. The arrests come of investigations of the Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI) and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
An advanced fraud-detection platform that leverages artificial intelligence and a database of nearly two billion claim records named Anti-Fraud One was used. Louisiana is one of only three states utilizing this technology to identify suspicious patterns, creating watch lists, and uncovering connections between fraudulent claims.
Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple said, “Louisiana is an early adopter of these sophisticated tools, which are revolutionizing the way insurance fraud is detected, investigated, and prosecuted.”
The suspects from West Monroe, were arrested on May 8 with assistance from State Police and the Department of Probation and Parole. The charges against them include insurance fraud, identity theft, money laundering, computer fraud, forgery, and felony theft. The individuals arrested are:
-Lashaundalyn Whitlock, 40, facing eight counts of insurance fraud, five counts of computer fraud, three counts of identity theft, five counts of forgery, and five counts of felony theft.
-Laquadra Whitlock Brown, 25, charged with seven counts of insurance fraud, five counts of computer fraud, three counts of identity theft, one count of money laundering, one count of forgery, and eight counts of felony theft.
-Jaylen Whitlock, 22, charged with one count each of insurance fraud and felony theft.
-Romenique Whitlock, 37, charged with one count each of insurance fraud and felony theft.
-Terrence Mays, 27, charged with one count each of insurance fraud and felony theft.
-Latricia Whitlock, 19, charged with one count of insurance fraud.
According to Commissioner Temple, fraudulent schemes like this one impose significant costs on Louisiana families by driving up insurance premiums. “Fraud cases like these systematically increase insurance costs for every hardworking Louisiana family,” Temple said. “Through the diligent work of our anti-fraud team and law enforcement partners, this deceptive scam will no longer exploit the system. We will continue to work tirelessly to root out fraud and protect the integrity of our insurance market.”
The investigation into the fraudulent activities remains ongoing, with authorities indicating that additional arrests or charges may follow as evidence continues to emerge.
