Verdon Taylor, Arson-for-Profit Scheme, Virginia 2017

A 15-year insurance fraud scheme in Virginia and Florida has come to an end with a guilty verdict against Verdon Taylor, a 72-year-old Florida man.

Taylor was found guilty of conspiracy, wire fraud, use of fire to commit a federal felony, and witness tampering in connection with the fraud. He and four co-conspirators, Vershawn Jackson, 39, and Marie Taylor, 54, both of Richmond, along with Sylvia Mitchell, aka Sylvia Jackson, 59, of Tampa, Florida, and Eugenia Fleming, 57, of Victoria, were indicted on March 8.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Verdon Taylor and his co-conspirators participated in a long-running arson-for-profit scheme in which the conspirators purchased cars or mobile homes at auction, or signed leases at rental properties, insured the property, and set fire to the insured property to collect insurance proceeds.

In many instances, the time between the purchase of insurance and the fire was mere weeks or even days. The evidence at trial also showed that the defendants made a practice of staging mobile homes and rental properties with furniture and clothing that had been purchased at flea markets or auctions, and on several occasions had been in other properties that previously burned.

Over the course of the scheme, defrauded insurance companies paid out over $1 million on claims by the conspirators.

Verdon Taylor faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison when sentenced on January 2, 2018. The co-defendants have entered guilty pleas to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and each faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

This case was investigated by the ATF with assistance from the Henrico County Fire Department and the Richmond Fire Department.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/jury-convicts-florida-man-arson-profit-scheme