Sentenced: Maryland Police Officers Convicted in 3-Scheme Auto Insurance Fraud Ring
While most drivers assume fraudulent insurance claims come from anonymous strangers, a Maryland case proves the threat can come from inside the police department itself. A former Prince George's County police officer is heading to federal prison after orchestrating staged vehicle thefts alongside multiple current and former law enforcement...
Published: Aug 21, 2026
While most drivers assume fraudulent insurance claims come from anonymous strangers, a Maryland case proves the threat can come from inside the police department itself.
A former Prince George's County police officer is heading to federal prison after orchestrating staged vehicle thefts alongside multiple current and former law enforcement colleagues, according to The Southern Maryland Chronicle. The case is a stark reminder of how auto insurance fraud law enforcement cases can implicate the very officers trusted to prevent crime. Reporting by The Southern Maryland Chronicle confirms U.S. District Judge Lydia Griggsby sentenced Michael Anthony Owen Jr., 37, of Accokeek, to six months in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release.
Former Officer Sentenced as Multi-Agency Insurance Fraud Ring Unravels
Owen pleaded guilty in June 2025 to falsification of records. His June 2025 guilty plea carried a possible maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, though federal judges weigh advisory sentencing guidelines before arriving at a final term. Griggsby ordered him to serve the first six months of supervised release on home detention and to pay $17,585 in restitution.
The case is not a single bad actor operating alone. Federal prosecutors identified a network that included former Anne Arundel County Police officer Jaron Earl Taylor, Candace Tyler of Bowie, Conrad D'Haiti of La Plata, and Davion Percy of Suitland. The scheme ran from August 2018 through February 2020.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced Owen's sentence alongside FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul and Prince George's County Police Chief George Nader. The FBI and Prince George's County Police Department jointly investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Baldwin prosecuted it.
The breadth of law enforcement involvement across multiple agencies made this one of the more striking auto insurance fraud law enforcement prosecutions in the region's recent history.
How the Staged-Theft Schemes Worked
Three distinct operations formed the core of the conspiracy, each with its own vehicle and cast of participants.
The Chevrolet Tahoe (August 2018). Owen and Taylor staged the theft of Taylor's Chevrolet Tahoe. After Taylor filed a fraudulent police report, the two stripped the vehicle and drove it into woods on Maryland State Highway property near Largo. Taylor then submitted a false claim to USAA.
The Jaguar XKR (January 2020). D'Haiti parked his Jaguar XKR behind Marlow Heights Shopping Center, where Percy served as police chief. D'Haiti paid Percy $350 to arrange for another person to tow and heavily vandalize the Jaguar so it would be classified as a total insurance loss. Tyler filed the false police report D'Haiti used to support a Liberty Mutual Insurance claim.
The Infiniti Sedan (January 2020). Owen and Taylor helped dispose of an Infiniti sedan so its owner, who was heading overseas, could escape further vehicle payments. The owner paid Taylor $1,000 through Cash App to stage the theft. Taylor transferred the money to Owen, who filed a false Prince George's County police report. Owen, Taylor, and others then moved the Infiniti to the top floor of an apartment-complex parking garage in Camp Springs and swapped its license plates with plates registered to another vehicle.
Each scheme exploited access to official police report systems, allowing participants to create the paper trail insurers rely on to process claims.
Who Paid, and How Much Insurers and Lenders Lost
The table below summarizes the financial damage from each scheme, drawn directly from federal court documents as reported by The Southern Maryland Chronicle.
| Chevrolet Tahoe | USAA | $38,670 | Paid; restitution ordered to Taylor |
| Jaguar XKR | Liberty Mutual / Navy Federal Credit Union | $17,585 | Paid to lienholder; restitution ordered to Owen |
| Infiniti Sedan | GEICO | Undisclosed claim amount | Claim denied on fraud grounds |
"Federal prosecutors said he and other officers used false police reports and staged vehicle thefts to make fraudulent insurance claims or avoid paying loans on vehicles worth less than their outstanding balances."
USAA absorbed the largest confirmed payout at $38,670 on the Tahoe theft. GEICO was the only insurer that successfully denied a claim, catching the Infiniti fraud before paying out. The $17,585 that Liberty Mutual paid to Navy Federal Credit Union on the Jaguar is the exact figure Griggsby ordered Owen to repay in restitution.
Where Each Defendant Stands: Convictions, Pleas, and Pending Sentences
The case has generated multiple convictions and guilty pleas since a federal grand jury indicted Owen, Taylor, D'Haiti, Tyler, and others in 2021.
- Michael Anthony Owen Jr. pleaded guilty in June 2025 to falsification of records; sentenced August 19 to six months in federal prison plus two years supervised release, including six months of home detention.
- Jaron Earl Taylor pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud; sentenced in July to three years of probation including five months of home detention; ordered to pay $38,670 in restitution to USAA.
- Davion Percy was found guilty by a federal jury in June 2026 of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud; sentencing is scheduled for October 16.
- Candace Tyler pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud; sentencing date not reported in available court documents.
- Conrad D'Haiti pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud; sentencing date not reported in available court documents.
Percy stands as the only defendant who took the case to trial. Every other named co-conspirator entered a guilty plea.
Why Staged-Theft Fraud Is Hard to Catch, Until It Isn't
Insider fraud involving law enforcement is uniquely difficult to detect because the perpetrators control the very records investigators would normally rely on.
"Owen, Taylor and others moved the Infiniti to the top floor of an apartment-complex parking garage in Camp Springs and replaced its license plates with plates registered to another vehicle."
When a police officer files a stolen-vehicle report, insurers have little reason to question its authenticity. The report itself is the primary piece of evidence supporting a claim. That credibility gap is exactly what this ring exploited across three separate schemes and two calendar years.
The conspiracy only unraveled through federal investigation. A federal grand jury indicted the group in 2021, more than a year after the last scheme concluded in February 2020. The multi-agency nature of the ring, spanning Prince George's County, Anne Arundel County, and a shopping center where Percy served as police chief, meant no single local department was positioned to see the full picture.
The FBI's involvement was decisive. Cases that cross jurisdictional lines and involve public officials often require federal resources and subpoena power to piece together payment trails like the $1,000 Cash App transfer from the Infiniti owner to Taylor.
Maryland drivers already face elevated insurance costs because of the state's dense urban corridors and high claim volumes. According to the Save Max Quote Index, drawn from 3.3 million+ real quote requests, fraud-heavy markets consistently produce higher baseline premiums for law-abiding drivers. The SMQI shows Maryland shoppers regularly encounter above-average full-coverage quotes, a pattern partly attributable to systemic fraud losses that insurers spread across all policyholders. For more on how Maryland auto insurance rates are structured and what drives them, the state-specific breakdown is worth reviewing.
What this means for you
Fraud like this does not stay contained to the criminals who commit it. When insurers pay fraudulent claims totaling tens of thousands of dollars per scheme, they recover those losses by raising premiums across their entire book of business, including yours. Review your Virginia auto insurance or Pennsylvania car insurance policies regularly and report any suspicious activity you notice on your own claims history to your insurer's fraud hotline. If a claim you did not file appears on your loss history report, dispute it immediately in writing. Staying alert to your policy activity is one of the few direct defenses you have against fraud that inflates your rates without your knowledge.
FAQ
What crime did Michael Anthony Owen Jr. plead guilty to?
Owen pleaded guilty in June 2025 to falsification of records in connection with a staged-vehicle-theft conspiracy. He was sentenced on August 19 to six months in federal prison followed by two years of supervised release, with the first six months of that release served on home detention.
Which insurance companies were defrauded in this case?
USAA paid $38,670 on the fraudulent Chevrolet Tahoe claim. Liberty Mutual paid $17,585 to Navy Federal Credit Union, the lienholder on the Jaguar XKR. GEICO detected and denied the fraudulent Infiniti claim before any funds were disbursed.
How does staged-theft insurance fraud raise premiums for ordinary drivers?
When insurers pay fraudulent claims, they factor those losses into their actuarial models and spread the cost across all policyholders through higher premiums. Regions or states with elevated fraud rates consistently show higher average quote prices, a pattern visible in the Save Max Quote Index across millions of real quote requests.
Why was this case investigated federally rather than by local police?
The conspiracy involved officers from multiple agencies and crossed county lines, making federal jurisdiction appropriate. Federal prosecutors have broader subpoena authority and can investigate financial transfer records, such as the Cash App payment used in the Infiniti scheme, more effectively than individual local departments.
What happened to the other defendants in the case?
Taylor was sentenced to three years of probation and five months of home detention and must repay $38,670 to USAA. Percy was convicted at trial in June 2026 and faces sentencing on October 16. Tyler pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and D'Haiti pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, with both awaiting sentencing.
About Aaren Ramon
Aaren Ramon is a Senior Analyst at Save Max Auto and owner of Elite Shield Agency. He covers carrier moves, regional insurance markets, and consumer-impact reporting from the agency-owner perspective. Read more from Aaren Ramon →
Edited by Cassidy Richey.
Methodology
This article is grounded in the source linked above. Save Max Auto data points referenced here are drawn from the Save Max Quote Index (SMQI), a proprietary instrument reflecting 3,364,317 real consumer quote requests submitted to savemaxauto.com. State and carrier rankings reflect the lifetime dataset; year-over-year shifts reflect a rolling 12-month window. The index is refreshed monthly. External authority figures referenced (NAIC, NHTSA, state regulators) reflect the most recent public data releases available at time of writing.
Sources
- Primary source: The Southern Maryland Chronicle, "Ex-Officer Gets Prison in Auto Insurance Fraud"