On December 5, 2024, William Oldham Mize was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison by United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice. The sentence is related to a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme involving false insurance claims. In addition to the prison term, Mize was ordered to pay $6,657,209 in restitution to insurance companies and $436,399 to the IRS. He will also serve three years of supervised release.
Court documents reveal that Mize led an extensive fraud operation from 2013 to 2018. The scheme involved staging automobile and boat collisions as well as home accidents in Washington and Nevada to file fraudulent insurance claims. This operation resulted in over $6 million being collected, most of which went to Mize. Authorities seized more than $2 million in assets from Mize and his associates, which have been returned to the victims.
Mize first appeared in federal court on January 9, 2019, but fled supervision later that year and lived under false identities until his capture on November 28, 2023. He was apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Jacksonville, Florida while attempting to sell a yacht.
U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref stated: “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... When indicted by prosecutors in my office, Mr. Mize fled.”
Assistant United States Attorney Dan Fruchter praised the investigative work done by federal agencies: “I want to commend and express special thanks for the exceptional investigative work done by the talented agents... Their close collaboration... made this result possible.”
Gregory L. Austin from the FBI’s Seattle field office commented: “Mr. Mize spent years living off the misery he caused.” Adam Jobes from IRS Criminal Investigation added: “Mr. Mize endangered his family and the public for money.”
Craig Thayer of the U.S. Marshals Service noted: “The elaborate fraud schemes that William Mize orchestrated not only caused financial injury... but these crimes add to the cost for responsible citizens... Judge Rice has now made Mize accountable with today’s sentence.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation Division, and U.S. Marshals Service with prosecution handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Fruchter, Jeremy J. Kelley, and Brian M. Donovan.