Former Anne Arundel County Police Officer Receives Probation for Insurance Fraud Scheme

A federal judge has sentenced a former Anne Arundel County police officer to a period of probation for his involvement in a scheme to defraud auto insurers. Jaron Earl Taylor, 32, of Ft. Washington, Maryland, was sentenced by Judge Lydia Griggsby to three years of probation, with the initial five months to be served under home detention. In addition to the probation, Taylor has been ordered to pay $38,670 in restitution to the United States Automobile Association. This sentencing follows an investigation into a broader conspiracy that involved falsifying records and staging vehicle thefts to make fraudulent insurance claims.

The scheme, which ran from August 2018 to February 2020, saw Taylor and his co-conspirators, including fellow officer Michael Anthony Owen, Jr., use their positions to assist each other in fraudulent insurance claims. According to court documents, members of the conspiracy aimed to have insurance companies cover the outstanding financing costs on vehicles that were no longer worth the amount owed on their loans. They achieved this by reporting fictitious losses and utilizing false police reports, which were intended to legitimize their claims and obstruct any subsequent investigations. The use of their law enforcement statuses provided an avenue to create and submit fabricated documentation to insurers, thus perpetuating the fraud.

One notable instance involved the staged theft of Taylor’s Chevrolet Tahoe in August 2018. Following the fabricated report of a stolen vehicle, Taylor and Owen reportedly dismantled the Tahoe and concealed it in a wooded area on Maryland State Highway property near Largo, Maryland. Taylor then proceeded to file a fraudulent claim with the United Services Automobile Association (USAA), which ultimately paid out $38,670 based on this false report. This particular incident highlights the method of creating a false narrative of theft to claim the value of a vehicle that was, in reality, intentionally disposed of by the conspirators.

The conspiracy extended to other officers and involved different vehicles. In January 2020, Owen is said to have assisted Conrad D’Haiti with a scheme to avoid paying off the loan balance on a Jaguar XKR. This involved D’Haiti parking the vehicle and paying another co-conspirator, Davion Percy, who was a police chief, 350 to arrange for its towing and significant vandalism to create an insurance total loss. Candace Tyler subsequently filed a fictitious police report that D’Haiti used to support his claim with Liberty Mutual Insurance. This claim resulted in Liberty Mutual paying 17,585 to Navy Federal Credit Union, the lienholder on the Jaguar.

Furthermore, in January 2020, Taylor and Owen were involved in assisting another co-conspirator in disposing of an Infiniti sedan to avoid continued payments while the owner was on overseas duty. The owner allegedly paid Taylor $1,000 via CashApp to stage the vehicle’s theft. Taylor then transferred this money to Owen, who filed a false police report with the Prince George’s County Police Department claiming the sedan had been stolen. The vehicle was then moved to a parking garage in Camp Springs, Maryland, where its identity was obscured by removing license plates and replacing them with others from a different vehicle. Despite these efforts, the co-conspirator’s insurance claim with GEICO was ultimately denied due to evidence of fraud. Michael Anthony Owen, Jr.’s sentencing is scheduled for August 18.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, in conjunction with the FBI and the Prince George’s County Police Department, has been instrumental in investigating and prosecuting these cases. The office emphasizes the importance of reporting fraud and provides resources on its website for individuals seeking assistance or wishing to report suspicious activities.

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

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