Former Maryland Police Chief Convicted in Elaborate Auto Insurance Fraud Scheme

A federal jury has found Davion Percy, a former chief of the Marlow Heights Special Police Department, guilty of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. The conviction stems from his involvement in a scheme to defraud Liberty Mutual Insurance by fabricating the theft of a vehicle. The jury’s verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Kelly O. Hayes, in conjunction with the FBI Baltimore Field Office and the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD).

The case, which concluded with the jury’s decision, detailed how Percy, then chief of the Marlow Heights Special Police Department, conspired with two other law enforcement officers to orchestrate a fraudulent insurance claim. Between December 2019 and February 2020, Percy, along with Michael Anthony Owen, Jr., a PGPD officer, and Conrad D’Haiti, a Maryland National Capital Park Police officer, devised a plan to avoid payment on a loan for a 2007 Jaguar XKR that D’Haiti had purchased earlier that year. The vehicle had reportedly developed significant mechanical issues, leading the co-conspirators to pursue an insurance fraud to resolve the financial burden.

The scheme involved staging the theft of the Jaguar to create a total loss claim. Court documents revealed that Percy agreed to arrange for another individual to stage the vehicle’s disappearance. On January 4, 2020, D’Haiti, at Percy’s direction, left the Jaguar at the rear of the Marlow Heights Shopping Center. Later that same day, Percy received $350 from D’Haiti at National Harbor, Maryland, which was intended to facilitate the staging of the car theft. Subsequently, on January 23, a special investigator for Liberty Mutual discovered the vandalized Jaguar in Marlow Heights.

Following the discovery of the car, D’Haiti and Owen filed a false theft report with the PGPD, which resulted in a fictitious police report being created. D’Haiti then utilized this false report to support his insurance claim with Liberty Mutual. In February 2020, Liberty Mutual issued a payment of $17,585 to Navy Federal Credit Union, the lienholder of the Jaguar, based on this fraudulent claim. Percy is now facing a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison, with sentencing to be determined by a federal district court judge, considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other applicable legal factors. U.S. Attorney Hayes acknowledged the investigative efforts of the FBI and PGPD, and also recognized the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adeyemi Adenrele and Caroline Schechinger in prosecuting the case.

Article by Mel Anara, based upon information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland.

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