United States Attorney Kenyen R. Brown of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Mark Edward Rowley, 62, of Dauphin Island, Alabama was sentenced today by Chief United States District Judge William H. Steele to 33 months’ imprisonment for wire fraud. The judge ordered that Rowley make restitution in the amount of $252,148.74 to victims of his crime and that he pay a $100 mandatory special assessment.

In March 2015, Rowley pled guilty to operating an insurance fraud scheme from June 2010 to December 2013. Despite having surrendered his Alabama insurance license in April 2010, Rowley falsely held himself out as a licensed insurance agent. He did business with individuals and entities in Alabama and the Florida panhandle, falsely claiming that he was buying his customers insurance through national insurance companies. Based upon Rowley’s false representations to his victims, they were misled into believing they had insurance coverage. Victims paid Rowley what they believed were insurance premiums, and he in turn frequently spent their money for his own benefit and gain. Rowley attempted to hide his fraudulent activity by issuing fraudulent insurance documents to his victims.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Gregory Bordenkircher and Sinan Kalayoglu.