A Maryland woman, 77-year-old Maureen Wilson, has been convicted in a sophisticated $20 million insurance fraud scheme, according to federal authorities. Wilson conspired with her husband, James Wilson, now deceased, to defraud multiple insurance companies by procuring over 40 life insurance policies under false pretenses.
The couple systematically misrepresented their health, financial holdings, and existing insurance coverage to obtain the policies. The total value of the death benefit policies exceeded $20 million. Following the acquisition of these policies, the Wilsons forged signatures to fraudulently designate themselves as beneficiaries. To conceal their scheme, they transferred the illicitly obtained funds through numerous bank accounts, obscuring the source and nature of the transactions.
In addition to the insurance fraud, Maureen Wilson also filed false federal income tax returns for the years 2018 and 2019. These returns intentionally omitted significant income derived from the fraudulent activities: approximately $5.7 million in 2018 and roughly $2 million in 2019.
Wilson was found guilty on a range of charges, including one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, four counts of mail fraud, two counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, one count of money laundering, and two counts of filing a false tax return. She now faces a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each count of conspiracy.
