A federal jury found two former Maryland police officers guilty of wire fraud, arson and insurance and bank fraud.
Philip James Dupree, of Pikesville and Mark Ross Johnson, Jr., of Camp Springs were found to have conspired with others to carry out the scheme.
Dupree is a former Fairmount Heights police officer, and Johnson is a former Prince George’s County police officer, conspired with others to carry out the scheme.
According to the nine-count indictment, the co-conspirators committed two separate fraud schemes involving filing false police reports and falsifying loss claims to obtain funds from an insurance company and three different financial institutions.
As part of the insurance fraud scheme in November 2018, Dupree and Johnson coordinated to burn Johnson’s Ford F450 truck that was experiencing mechanical and electrical problems. Dupree “discovered” the burning vehicle while on duty in Fairmount Heights and filed an impound report containing false statements regarding the recovery of the truck.
Johnson then used the report number in support of his claim filed with the insurance company for a total loss on the truck. He also submitted altered telephone records to his insurer to hide that he had a 16-minute conversation with Dupree just before Dupree “discovered” the truck.
A fire investigator hired by the insurer testified that the Ford F450 fire was intentionally set, and originated in the passenger compartment of the truck. The insurer, relying in part on the police report and altered telephone records, paid out more than $68,000 to the lien holder on the truck.
Then from May 2019 until June 2019, Dupree, Johnson, and others conspired to defraud three financial institutions. They coordinated the withdrawal of money from their financial accounts through ATMs so they could fraudulently claim their money was stolen. Then the co-conspirators sought reimbursement from their financial institutions.
In executing the scheme, Dupree and Johnson coordinated submitting police reports falsely claiming their debit cards were stolen and then were used to withdraw funds without permission. One police report, included the name of a non-existent police officer as the preparer.
Both Dupree and Johnson are facing up to 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. Additionally, they face at least five years, but up to 20 years, for arson affecting interstate commerce, and up to 30 years for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud. Sentencing is scheduled for February 2026.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland
Topics
Fraud
Law Enforcement
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