Members of the Martin Luther King Commission are defending their new executive director, who has been linked to an insurance fraud ring that staged or caused car crashes to collect thousands of dollars in false insurance claims.

The 26-member panel scrapped a meeting planned for Thursday morning 45 minutes after it was scheduled to begin. They were unable to reach the 14-member quorum necessary to conduct business. Thursday afternoon, an audit on the commission's past finances was set to go before state lawmakers.

The state's insurance commissioner said last week that the state could pursue charges against DuShun Scarbrough, who began working for the commission in March. Scarbrough has not been charged with a crime, but court papers filed by the state say he received more than $19,000 in false insurance claims for accidents tied to the ring.

When asked about the accusations today, Scarbrough told The Associated Press "I had nothing to do with those matters and that's all I have to say."

Commission co-chairman Andy Montgomery defended Scarbrough and questioned the validity of the insurance commission's accusations.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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