(Washington, DC) Mark Gilmore, 31, a former resident of the District of Columbia, now living in Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty Tuesday in United States District Court for the District of Columbia to one count of interstate transportation of stolen property in connection with his 7-year long insurance fraud scheme. The announcement of Gilmore's conviction was made jointly by Commissioner Lawrence H. Mirel of the District of Columbia Department of Insurance and Securities Regulation (DISR), United States Attorney Roscoe C. Howard, Jr., Michael Rolince, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's Washington Field Office, and Maryland Insurance Administration Commissioner Alfred W. Redmer, Jr. Gilmore admitted stealing $83,713 from AIG, Allstate, Fireman's Fund, GEICO, Progressive, and State Farm by filing fraudulent insurance claims. He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 10, 2003. At sentencing, Gilmore faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a fine of $250,000 and an order of restitution. Under the federal sentencing guidelines, he faces a likely sentence of 10 to 16 months in prison. This is the first time the District and Maryland have collaborated on an insurance fraud case that has led to a conviction.

"This is an important case for DISR", said Commissioner Mirel, "Insurance fraud frequently takes place across jurisdictions, and cooperative efforts are required to catch and prosecute offenders. This case is an example of the cooperative efforts of the District, Maryland, and federal agencies working to end insurance fraud."

According to the government's evidence, between April 1997 and January 2003, Gilmore filed at least eighteen (18) fraudulent claims with several automobile insurance companies exposing those companies to approximately $83,719 in losses. Gilmore actually received $58,970.33 in payments from various insurance companies. In one instance, Gilmore fraudulently reported his automobile stolen in August 2000, and collected $15,650 on the automobile theft claim even though he had taken the car to a repair shop to obtain an estimate for repairs. As part of his plea agreement, Gilmore admitted to transporting a check in the amount of $12,520 from his home in the District of Columbia to Maryland, where he deposited the check into his account at a credit union. Gilmore had received the $12,520 check from his insurance company as partial payment of his fraudulent $15,650 automobile theft claim for the car he dropped off at the repair shop.

In announcing the guilty plea, Commissioner Mirel, United States Attorney Howard, Assistant Director Rolince, and Commissioner Redmer commended Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Lynn Williams, District of Columbia Department of Insurance and Securities Regulation Investigator Garland Cheek and Maryland Insurance Administration Insurance Fraud Division Investigator Donald Kent for their outstanding work in investigating the case. They also praised former Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth C. Coombe and Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan R. Barr who investigated and prosecuted this matter, and Legal Assistant April Peeler and former DISR Fraud Investigator Evelyn Carmen who assisted in the investigation and prosecution. The special investigative units of the companies involved developed the original investigative information.