Anchorage Couple Nabbed: Drugs, Fraud, and a Staged Burglary

Anchorage, AK – Greed and deception landed Arnold Wesley Flowers, II, 42, and his wife, Miranda May Flowers, 32, both of Anchorage, in federal prison this week. Arnold Flowers received a hefty 75-month sentence, followed by five years of supervised release, while Miranda Flowers will spend 20 months behind bars, also with three years of supervised release and 120 hours of community service. The couple was convicted on multiple counts of wire fraud and, in Arnold’s case, serious drug and weapons charges.

The scheme, unveiled during a December 2016 jury trial, involved a meticulously planned insurance fraud. On January 17, 2016, the Flowers moved valuable items – big screen TVs, jewelry, designer clothes, electronics, and more – into a storage unit. Two days later, they reported a burglary, claiming these items were stolen from their Larkspur Circle home. They then filed a claim with State Farm Insurance for over $101,000 in replacement costs, communicating the fraudulent claim through calls and emails spanning Alaska and several Lower 48 states and Hawaii.

But the fraud was just one layer of the Flowers’ criminal activity. A separate October 2016 federal jury trial exposed Arnold Flowers as a drug dealer. On March 29, 2016, Anchorage Police raided the Flowers’ residence, uncovering 2 ounces of cocaine clogging a toilet and another 4 ounces hidden within a bathroom trash can. The search also yielded $28,000 in cash and two loaded firearms, stashed in safes that reeked of cocaine. Police also found sandwich baggies matching those used to package the drugs in a bedroom dresser.

Flowers attempted to explain the cash as proceeds from selling high-end watches, but police found no evidence of a legitimate watch business. During the initial search, he had $1,275 in cash stuffed in his pants pocket. U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason wasn’t buying it. At sentencing, Gleason specifically noted that Flowers wasn’t motivated by personal addiction, but by pure profit, calling his actions “greed” and condemning the deliberate damage to his own home to facilitate the insurance scam.

The sentencing of Arnold and Miranda Flowers marks the culmination of a complex investigation by federal authorities and the Anchorage Police Department. The case serves as a stark reminder that attempts to profit from both drug trafficking and insurance fraud will be met with significant federal penalties. The Flowers’ carefully constructed facade of victimhood crumbled under the weight of evidence, leaving them facing years in prison.

Acting U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder’s office prosecuted the case, demonstrating a continued commitment to tackling drug trafficking, financial crimes, and related offenses in Alaska. State Farm Insurance is expected to recover the funds lost due to the fraudulent claim. Details of asset forfeiture related to the case were not immediately available.