Couple sentenced after $20 million insurance fraud, money laundering scheme
By JT Moodee Lockman
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BALTIMORE COUNTY, Maryland (WJZ) — A Baltimore County couple was sentenced to prison time after being convicted of an insurance fraud and money laundering scheme that spanned 25 years, according to the Department of Justice.
Court documents show that James and Maureen Wilson, of Owings Mills, conspired to defraud insurance companies by opening more than 40 life insurance policies.
James was sentenced to 12 years in prison, and Maureen was sentenced to four years.
Maryland couple convicted of fraud
According to court documents, the Wilsons got more than $20 million from their scheme, which started in 1996 and continued through 2021. The Wilsons also defraudied several investors to get the money, which Maureen used to pay the premiums of the fraudulent policies.
To hide their scheme, the couple transferred the money through multiple bank accounts and trusts, according to court documents. The Wilsons also filed tax returns in 2018 and 2019, in which they failed to report the nearly $5.7 million and $2 million that they respectively made.
A judge ordered both James and Maureen Wilson to serve three years of probation following their prison sentences. They were also ordered to pay $16 million in restitution to the victims of their scheme and $2.7 million to the U.S.
The couple must also forfeit nearly $14.8 million.
Maryland fraud schemes
There have been several fraud schemes in Maryland recently, including one that targeted an 87-year-old woman and led to the arrest of two New York men. The elder fraud case in Harford County prompted a warning from law enforcement.
In June, AARP, Maryland’s Department of Aging and the Baltimore FBI launched a campaign to combat elder fraud.
According to the FBI, more than 3,200 Marylanders over 60 years old lost $80 million in scams in 2024. The FBI also said elder fraud was up 14% in 2023.
In another fraud case, four people, including three from New York and one from New Jersey, were charged for organizing fake marriages in a visa fraud scheme.
The group paired U.S. citizens with migrants seeking permanent residency.
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