A Maryland woman was convicted Wednesday for an insurance fraud and money laundering scheme that she carried out with her husband, according to the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office.

According to court documents, 77-year-old Maureen Wilson of Owings Mills conspired with her husband, James Wilson, to defraud insurance companies by taking out more than 40 life insurance policies for applicants.

Court records show the scheme carried on from 1996 to 2021.

Wilson misrepresented the applicants' health, wealth, and existing life insurance coverage. Court documents show that the total amount of benefits from the policies was more than $20 million.

According to court documents, Wilson also conspired to defraud investors to get money that she used to pay the premiums for the fraudulent life insurance policies.

After taking out the policies, Maureen and James used forged signatures to make themselves and others the owners and beneficiaries of the life insurance policies.

Maureen also impersonated other people when speaking with the life insurance companies, court documents show.

Maureen and James hid the fraud by transferring the money they made through multiple bank accounts. Marueen also filed false income tax returns in 2018 and 2019, which did not include the estimated $5.7 million and $2 million they gained from the fraud.

Maureen is scheduled to be sentenced on June 20.

Maureen's husband, James, was also charged in the scheme and was found guilty in January 2025.

James is scheduled to be sentenced on May 1, 2025.

Fraud schemes in Maryland

There have been several recent instances of fraud in Maryland.

In early March, Parkville resident Tasha Saunders, 44, pleaded guilty to stealing more than $3.6 million in a Medicaid fraud scheme.

Saunders admitted that she ran two behavioral health companies that submitted fraudulent claims for psychiatric rehabilitation services between 2019 and 2024.

Court documents show that she forged signatures, created fake patient records and stole the identities of healthcare providers and Medicaid recipients.

This was Saunders' second conviction for Medicaid fraud after she pleaded guilty to similar schemes in 2021.

In March, a Baltimore County man was sentenced to more than three years in prison for participating in several fraud schemes.

Court records show that Obinna Warrior of Milford Mill was an unlicensed money transmitter for romance, business, email and investment schemes.