Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that William Oldham Mize pleaded guilty to conspiracy, tax fraud, and failing to appear at court proceedings, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice accepted Mize’s guilty plea and scheduled a sentencing hearing for November 6, 2024, in Spokane, Washington.
According to the plea agreement and other court filings, Mize was the ringleader of a massive insurance fraud scheme to intentionally cause automobile and boat collisions as well as staged home “accidents” in order to file false and fraudulent insurance claims and collect the proceeds.
According to court documents, the scheme took place between 2013 and 2018, involved numerous staged collisions in Washington and Nevada, and obtained more than $6.77 mn, most of which was kept by Mize.
William Oldham Mize, the leader of a Washington state insurance fraud ring, pleaded guilty after orchestrating a scheme that defrauded carriers of $6.77 mn.
The court had previously recovered $1.97 mn from Mize and five co-defendants, according to AM Best’s BestWire.
A federal judge ordered Mize to forfeit $4.77 mn connected to the crimes, which involved over 20 co-conspirators and dated back to 2013.
Mize first appeared in court in January 2019. He was released on a $750,000 bond, surrendered his passport, and was restricted to travel within Nevada and Washington.
However, in July 2019, Mize fled and remained a fugitive until law enforcement apprehended him in November 2023. Authorities tracked him to a marina in Florida through a Craigslist ad for a yacht, where he was living at the time of his arrest. He was extradited to Washington and has remained in custody since.
The fraud ring specialized in staging auto accidents but also engaged in scams involving boats and homes.
In one case, Mize and three accomplices staged a crash involving a Dodge Ram 3500, a Ford F250, and a Baja boat. They claimed injuries and obtained $338,266 in fraudulent payouts.
Mize also admitted to staging slip-and-fall accidents to defraud home insurance carriers. In one incident, Mize and three others claimed they were carrying a copier down stairs when a cat caused them to fall, resulting in fake injury claims that netted $85,000.
U.S. Attorney Waldref stated, “Mr. Mize attempted, but ultimately failed, to avoid the consequences of his fraudulent and dangerous schemes. Over the course of several years, Mr. Mize defrauded insurance companies out of millions of dollars by staging fake accidents that caused real, physical harm to his co-conspirators and others. These schemes greatly increase insurance premiums and costs for everyone, making it more expensive for ordinary Americans to own a car and to have reliable transportation for themselves and their families. I am grateful for the excellent investigative work by our law enforcement partners and prosecutors in my office, as well as the tireless dedication of the U.S. Marshals to locate and return Mr. Mize to the Eastern District, where he finally will be held accountable for the great harm caused by his fraudulent scheme.”
This case demonstrates the dedication of the FBI, the U.S. Marshals, IRS Criminal Investigation, and all our law enforcement partners to hold fraudsters and fugitives accountable no matter how long the process takes or how far they run
Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office
“Mr. Mize pleaded guilty today after a multi-year, multi-million dollar scheme, followed by years of hiding from the law.”
“Preventing auto accidents requires communal effort, and safety is something we all strive for. Mr. Mize, on the other hand, chose to travel a different path,” said Special Agent in Charge Adam Jobes, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS CI), Seattle Field Office. “Going on the run, Mr. Mize tried to escape the consequences of his actions. Today, however, is the end of the road, and Mr. Mize is being held accountable for his crimes.”
The United States Marshals Service worked as one team with the IRS and the FBI in this case to relentlessly pursue this fugitive until he was apprehended, in spite of his resources and intent to avoid capture
Gavin K. Duffy, Chief Deputy United States Marshal for Eastern Washington
“While this case has garnered significant attention, the partnership and teamwork between local, state, and federal agencies occurs every day in Eastern Washington to maximize both the benefit to our community and to ensure the Rule of Law is maintained.”
The FBI, Internal Revenue Service, and U.S. Marshals Service investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Fruchter and Jeremy J. Kelley are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
