A past participant in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) from the state of Washington has found his name added to the ‘Most Wanted’ list on account of suspected insurance malpractice. The Insurance Commissioner’s Office of Washington State has shared that Bryan Caraway, the ex-UFC fighter, landed on the list due to his failure to show up for a pre-trial hearing scheduled by the Benton County Superior Court.
In his professional capacity as a UFC fighter, Caraway has been slapped with multiple charges including forgery, first-degree attempted theft, the filing of a fraudulent insurance claim, and providing false information on a vehicle application certificate of title. All these charges have been levied by the Benton County Prosecutor’s Office following the conclusion of the Criminal Investigations Unit’s examination.
Highlighting the intensity of the matter, the authorities proceeded to issue an arrest warrant for the 40-year-old on Oct. 3. Interestingly, in a revealing insight, it has been indicated by the Insurance Commissioner’s office that this isn’t the first instance when Caraway, a native of Yakima, Washington, had to face accusations of insurance deception.
In a past incident, dating December 2018, Caraway was reported to have informed his insurance company about a claimed theft of a 2015 model Polaris RZR from his dwelling in Richland. Detailed procedures revealed that the retired fighter had picked up an insurance policy from GEICO for this all-terrain vehicle just six days prior to raising the claim, that was on Dec. 21 of the same year.
As per the claim initiated by Caraway, the cost of the vehicle and its associated contents was purported to have been $18,500. In addition, the former UFC athlete provided the insurance agency with a title for the said vehicle, which displayed that the vehicle was a gift from his former girlfriend, purchased in January 2018.
However, on closer inspection of the provided documents, officials flagged Caraway for the possible falsification of the title. Further enquiry led to the discovery that the all-terrain vehicle was still in possession of his ex-girlfriend, and additionally, it was also still registered under her name.
In the wake of these findings, Caraway was left with no option but to retract his claim. Subsequently, the case was forwarded by GEICO to the CIU overseen by Mike Kreidler, the Insurance Commissioner of Washington. His office, upon further investigation, formally charged Caraway.
Prior to the current situation, Caraway managed to get his name cleared off the ‘Most Wanted’ list in February of 2021. This occurred as a result of Caraway’s action of reaching out to the Benton County Superior Court with a request to reappoint a date for his arraignment hearing.
Such measures had to be taken following the announcement by the authorities about the issuance of a warrant for his arrest. His failure to appear at the hearing set off alarms and placed him back on the ‘Most Wanted’ list, thus reinstating his status as a potentially fraudulent individual.
The official authorities are currently seeking information from the public that could considerably aid in locating and subsequently detaining Bryan Caraway. They requested any individuals with potential leads or details to come forward and cooperate with the investigators, emphasizing that any piece of information could be crucial.