The owner of a former insurance agency in Seven Lakes has been charged with embezzlement, according to a release from the N.C. Department of Insurance

Jennifer Hughes Puckett, 30, of Rockingham, was arrested on 10 charges of embezzlement, Insurance Commissioner Wayne Godwin said.

According to the arrest warrant, Puckett -- a licensed insurance agent and the owner of Abbott Insurance Group, 1100 Seven Lakes N. -- took $9,000 in premiums for fake insurance policies between Oct. 1, 2007, and Feb. 1, 2009.

So far investigators have identified 14 victims of this scam. These are clients who were issued fraudulent certificates of isurance and believed they were covered by various auto, homeowner rental or other insurance policies. According to the investigation, Puckett took the premium money for herself.

A complaint from a consumer who discovered the policy he held was fake, led to the investigation. Puckett was taken to Moore County Detention Center in Carthage and placed under a $10,000 secured bond. She closed Abbott Insurance Group in February.

The Department of Insurance employs 20 sworn law-enforcement officers who investigate claims of insurance fraud. In 2008, these investigators saw more than 453 cases successfully closed with more than $5.8 million in restitution and recoveries, 60 criminal convictions and 130 arrests.