The alleged mastermind behind a multi-million-dollar insurance fraud scheme has been arrested by US Marshals after four years on the run.
William Maze, 62, is facing a series of charges that correspond to over $6 million in payouts from insurers. According to court documents, he led a crime ring that staged car accidents, falls, and other incidents in order to file fraudulent claims.
A federal grand jury in Washington indicted Maze in 2018. He has been evading authorities since July 2019, when he violated his pretrial release condition.
US Marshals revealed in a news release that Maze was arrested at a marina in Jacksonville, Florida – a location believed to be his residence.
“William Mize was a fugitive who thought that because he had financial means, he could avoid apprehension and flout the rule of law,” said Craig Thayer, US Marshal for the Eastern District of Washington. “As evidenced, this is clearly not the case.”
In 2021, a deputy marshal told Las Vegas outlet 8 News Now that Mize styled himself as “a godfather of a white-collar crime family.”
“If you ever came in contact with this guy, check your history because he’s really good about using other people’s identities,” the deputy marshal had said. “So, if there is someone helping him, it’s very possible. He has the means. We believe he still has a lot of cash on him. He’s good at talking to people. He can manipulate people. He does have a history of turning very violent if he doesn’t get his way.”
Mize’s insurance fraud operation spanned five states, according to reports, including Washington and Nevada.
Following his arrest, US Marshals said Mize is set to be extradited to Washington. He will be facing a number of fraud charges, including mail fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, health care fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Ron Wells, Mize’s co-conspirator in the scheme, was previously sentenced to a year of home confinement, according to a report by The Spokesman-Review.
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