Crooked Collision Claims Net Ringleader Millions of Dollars, 12 Years in Prison
On December 5, U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced William Oldham Mize to 12 years in federal prison for a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme involving false and fabricated insurance claims, according to a press release from the U.S Attorney's Office: Eastern District of Washington.
Judge Rice also imposed three years of supervised release and ordered Mize to pay $6,657,209 in restitution to insurance companies and $436,399 to the IRS.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, Mize led a massive insurance fraud scheme that involved intentionally causing automobile and boat collisions, as well as staging home accidents to file false insurance claims and collect the proceeds. The scheme, which took place between 2013 and 2018, involved numerous staged collisions in Washington and Nevada and obtained more than $6 million, most of which was kept by Mize. The U.S. government seized and forfeited more than $2 million in assets, including houses, cars, boats, and cash, from Mize and his co-conspirators and returned that money to the victims.
Mize originally appeared in federal court on his indictment on January 9, 2019. After his initial appearance, he was released pending trial. In July 2019, Mize fled from supervision and became a fugitive, living under several false identities.
On November 28, 2023, U.S. Marshals apprehended Mize in Jacksonville, Florida, based on a lead that he was attempting to sell a yacht while living under a false identity. Mize was arrested at a marina in central Florida and transported to Eastern Washington, where he has remained in custody.
“For many years, Mr. Mize recruited, directed, and elaborately staged automobile and boat collisions, as well as other injury accidents, to fraudulently obtain millions of dollars. This scheme caused serious physical harm to his co-conspirators, including his wife and children, and placed the community in significant danger. Furthermore, Mr. Mize defrauded the public out of more than $400,000 by cheating on his taxes. When indicted by prosecutors in my office, Mr. Mize fled to avoid accountability for his crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref. “I am grateful for the dedication of the U.S. Marshals who located and returned Mr. Mize to the Eastern District and the prosecutors and investigators who worked many hours over the years to achieve justice in this case.”
“I want to commend and express special thanks for the exceptional investigative work done by the talented agents and investigative professionals with the FBI, IRS, and U.S. Marshals Service. Their close collaboration and partnership, persistence, and hard work throughout a complex and lengthy investigation made this result possible. We look forward to continuing to work with our law enforcement partners to strengthen and safeguard Eastern Washington,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Fruchter.
“Mr. Mize spent years living off the misery he caused,” said Gregory L. Austin, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “While he enriched himself, his co-conspirators, including family members, were left with physical injuries and jail sentences. To make matters worse, rather than answer for his crimes, he became a fugitive for almost five years. I commend our investigators, partners, and specifically the U.S. Marshals Service, who ultimately tracked him down and took him into custody.”
“Mr. Mize endangered his family and the public for money,” said Adam Jobes, special agent in charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Seattle field office. “As long as money is a motivation for crime, we will assist our law enforcement partners with investigations like this one.”
“The elaborate fraud schemes that William Mize orchestrated not only caused financial injury to various insurance companies but also added to the cost for responsible citizens to have insurance. It should also not be forgotten that the collisions and physical injuries to those participating in the schemes were acts of unconscionable violence and added risk to the public. Mize fled after his original appearance in federal court, which led to a long and protracted fugitive investigation,” said Craig Thayer, U.S. marshal for the Eastern District of Washington. “The partnership and teamwork between local, state, and federal agencies, including the IRS and FBI, were instrumental in the eventual arrest of Mize. Judge Rice has now made Mize accountable with today’s sentence and order for restitution.”
The FBI, IRS, and U.S. Marshals Service investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dan Fruchter, Jeremy J. Kelley, and Brian M. Donovan prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
