A licensed insurance agent has been arrested and charged with multiple felonies after authorities accused him of using an elderly client’s personal information to purchase a life insurance policy without her knowledge or consent.
North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey announced the arrest of Tony Lee Gunter, 29, of Spruce Pine. Gunter faces felony charges of exploiting an elderly or disabled person’s trust, identity theft and obtaining property by false pretense.
According to investigators with the North Carolina Department of Insurance Criminal Investigations Division, Gunter allegedly obtained the client’s checking account numbers and other identifying information and used it to purchase a life insurance policy in her name.
Investigators allege the client did not know about or consent to the policy.
According to the arrest warrant, Gunter subsequently received $256.50 in commission from the Independent Order of Foresters in connection with the allegedly fraudulent policy.
The alleged offense occurred on Jan. 30, 2025.
Gunter was released on a $20,000 secured bond and is expected to appear in Yancey County District Court on Oct. 12.
Causey said consumers must be able to trust licensed insurance agents to operate within the law and thanked investigators for bringing the case to light.
The charges are allegations, and Gunter is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Information for this article was provided by North Carolina Department of Insurance. Views and claims expressed in this article are those of the source company and do not necessarily reflect the views of AgencyEquity.com. This article may have been edited with the help of AI.
