GREENBELT, Md. — Two Prince George’s County men, former police officers Michael Anthony Owen, Jr., 36, of Accokeek, and Jaron Earl Taylor, 31, of Fort Washington, pleaded guilty to federal charges in an auto-insurance fraud scheme. Owen admitted to falsification of records, while Taylor pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes announced on June 4, 2025, alongside Acting Special Agent in Charge Amanda M. Koldjeski of the FBI Baltimore Field Office and Prince George’s County Police Chief Malik Aziz.
Between August 2018 and February 2020, Owen, then a Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD) officer, and Taylor, an Anne Arundel County Police Department officer, conspired with fellow officers Candace Tyler, Conrad D’Haiti, Davion Percy, and others to defraud insurance companies. The group fabricated vehicle thefts to secure payouts or avoid loan payments on depreciated cars, leveraging their positions to file false police reports that supported fraudulent claims.
In August 2018, Owen and Taylor staged the theft of Taylor’s Chevrolet Tahoe. Taylor filed a fraudulent police report, and the pair stripped the vehicle before abandoning it in woods near a Maryland State Highway property in Largo. Taylor’s false claim to the United Services Automobile Association (USAA) resulted in a $38,670 payout. In January 2020, Owen aided D’Haiti in faking the theft of a Jaguar XKR. D’Haiti parked the car behind Marlow Heights Shopping Center, where Percy, the police chief, worked. D’Haiti paid Percy $350 to have the vehicle towed and vandalized to appear as a total loss. Tyler filed a false report, enabling D’Haiti to claim $17,585 from Liberty Mutual Insurance, which was paid to Navy Federal Credit Union, the lienholder.
That same month, Owen and Taylor helped a co-conspirator avoid payments on an Infiniti sedan during overseas duty. The co-conspirator paid Taylor $1,000 via CashApp, which Taylor forwarded to Owen. Owen filed a false PGPD report claiming the car was stolen, though the group had hidden it on the top floor of a Camp Springs apartment-complex parking garage, swapping its license plates. The co-conspirator’s claim to GEICO was denied due to suspected fraud.
The false reports were designed to obstruct investigations into the fraudulent claims, exploiting the officers’ authority to mislead insurers. The scheme targeted vehicles with outstanding loans exceeding their market value, allowing conspirators to eliminate debts or gain cash payouts.
Owen faces up to 20 years in federal prison for falsification of records. Taylor, under a plea deal, faces a maximum of three years for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Sentencings are set for September 23, 2025, with Taylor’s at 10:30 a.m. and Owen’s at 2:30 p.m. U.S. Attorney Hayes praised the FBI and PGPD for their investigative efforts and acknowledged Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Baldwin and LaShanta Harris for prosecuting the case.
The case highlights vulnerabilities in insurance claim processes and the misuse of law enforcement authority. The guilty pleas mark a step toward accountability for the officers’ actions, which undermined public trust in local police departments. The investigation revealed a network of officers collaborating across jurisdictions, raising concerns about oversight within law enforcement agencies.
