The two officers were part of a larger scheme to defraud insurance companies.

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

Two former police officers in Maryland used their badges to file fake theft reports, vandalize cars, and collect payouts—with one even taking a $1,000 Cash App bribe, prosecutors said.

Now, they face justice.

Michael Anthony Owen Jr., 36, of Accokeek, and Jaron Earl Taylor, 31, of Fort Washington, pleaded guilty to federal charges in connection with a wide-ranging insurance fraud scheme, according to the US Attorney’s Office on Tuesday, June 3.

Owen admitted to falsifying records, while Taylor pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. 

Both were working as officers—Owen with the Prince George’s County Police Department, and Taylor with the Anne Arundel County Police—during the time of the crimes, between August 2018 and February 2020.

Prosecutors say Owen and Taylor, along with at least three other co-conspirators who were also officers, filed bogus police reports to help each other collect insurance payouts on cars they no longer wanted. 

They staged thefts, faked damage, and used their police authority to make the false claims look real.

"The co-conspirators used their statuses as police officers to assist each other’s claims by writing false police reports," prosecutors said. "Then co-conspirators submitted fictitious police reports to insurers to validate the claim." 

In 2018, Owen and Taylor staged the “theft” of Taylor’s Chevrolet Tahoe. 

After stripping the SUV, they dumped it in the woods off state property near Largo. Taylor then filed a false claim with USAA and got $38,670.

In another case, Owen helped fellow officer Conrad D’Haiti fake the theft of a Jaguar in 2020. 

D’Haiti paid Officer Davion Percy $350 to have the car towed, vandalized, and abandoned. A bogus police report was then filed by officer Candace Tyler to help push the claim. 

Liberty Mutual paid out $17,585 to cover the lien.

Also in January 2020, Owen and Taylor helped dispose of an Infiniti sedan belonging to a co-conspirator on overseas duty. 

That officer paid Taylor $1,000 via Cash App. 

Taylor forwarded the money to Owen, who filed the fake report. The car was then stashed in a Camp Springs garage with swapped license plates. GEICO later denied the claim, citing fraud, triggering the investigation that led to their downfall.

Owen faces up to 20 years in federal prison, while Taylor is facing a maximum of 3 years when they are sentenced in September.

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