Ohio Couple Receives Sentences for $2M Insurance Fraud Linked to Arson
An Ohio couple has been sentenced for orchestrating a scheme that defrauded insurance companies of over $2 million by conspiring to set fire to insured properties. This announcement was made by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio earlier this week.
Lonnie White, 48, from Willoughby Hills, Ohio, received a 53-month prison sentence from Chief U.S. District Judge Sara Lioi after pleading guilty in August to several charges, which include:
- Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud
- Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering Offenses
- Conspiracy to Use Fire in Commission of a Felony
In addition to his prison term, White was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $2,375,861 in restitution. Chief Judge Lioi imposed this sentence on January 23.
White’s spouse, Lisa Ogletree, 48, was sentenced to five years of probation and 810 days of location-monitored home confinement after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud in August. Her sentence was handed down by Chief Judge Lioi on January 28.
“It’s traumatic for people to see a house in their neighborhood go up in flames, and these defendants shamelessly utilized devastating fires just to line their pockets with money,” stated United States Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio.
The indictment reveals that White and Ogletree, either directly or through accomplices, purchased houses on the east side of Cleveland. They transferred these properties to nominal owners who had fake renters, insured the properties for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and then arranged for the houses to be set on fire. Following the fires, they submitted fraudulent insurance claims for the destroyed properties. White specifically orchestrated the fires to make them appear accidental.
Once they received the insurance payouts for the fire damage, the nominal owners distributed the funds to White and Ogletree. The couple then funneled the money into other bank accounts for their personal gain and to further their fraudulent scheme. Court filings indicate that this operation involved at least six fires and resulted in over $2.3 million in fraudulent claims between 2013 and 2019.
The investigation that led to the indictment was carried out by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Cleveland Field Office.
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An Ohio couple has been sentenced for orchestrating a scheme that defrauded insurance companies of over $2 million by conspiring to set fire to insured properties. This announcement was made by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio earlier this week.
Lonnie White, 48, from Willoughby Hills, Ohio, received a 53-month prison sentence from Chief U.S. District Judge Sara Lioi after pleading guilty in August to several charges, which include:
- Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud
- Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering Offenses
- Conspiracy to Use Fire in Commission of a Felony
In addition to his prison term, White was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $2,375,861 in restitution. Chief Judge Lioi imposed this sentence on January 23.
White’s spouse, Lisa Ogletree, 48, was sentenced to five years of probation and 810 days of location-monitored home confinement after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud in August. Her sentence was handed down by Chief Judge Lioi on January 28.
“It’s traumatic for people to see a house in their neighborhood go up in flames, and these defendants shamelessly utilized devastating fires just to line their pockets with money,” stated United States Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio.
The indictment reveals that White and Ogletree, either directly or through accomplices, purchased houses on the east side of Cleveland. They transferred these properties to nominal owners who had fake renters, insured the properties for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and then arranged for the houses to be set on fire. Following the fires, they submitted fraudulent insurance claims for the destroyed properties. White specifically orchestrated the fires to make them appear accidental.
Once they received the insurance payouts for the fire damage, the nominal owners distributed the funds to White and Ogletree. The couple then funneled the money into other bank accounts for their personal gain and to further their fraudulent scheme. Court filings indicate that this operation involved at least six fires and resulted in over $2.3 million in fraudulent claims between 2013 and 2019.
The investigation that led to the indictment was carried out by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Cleveland Field Office.
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