William Oldham Mize pleaded guilty to conspiracy, tax fraud, and failing to appear at court proceedings. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice accepted Mize’s guilty plea and scheduled a sentencing hearing for November 6, 2024, in Spokane, Washington.
Mize and his wife, Sandra Victoria Talento, were described as central figures in the scheme in which they staged a series of automobile, boating, stair fall, pedestrian, vehicle and other accidents in Washington, Idaho, Nevada and California from 2013 to 2018, according to court documents. The scheme defrauded insurance carriers of more than $6 million. “This guy sees himself as like a godfather of a white-collar crime family,” a deputy marshal told 8 News Now in 2021. “Everybody has to obey him, or there’s gonna be consequences.”
Mize and 21 others, including his wife Sandra were indicted in 2018. However, he disappeared in 2019, causing a halt in his court proceedings. Mize originally appeared in federal court on his indictment on January 9, 2019. Following his initial appearance, he was released pending trial. In July 2019, Mize fled from supervision and became a fugitive, living under a number of false identities.
The group set up more than 33 car incidents to collect insurance payments and faked injuries and symptoms to pursue as much medical care as possible, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in 2019.
Others involved in the “white-collar crime family” include Mize’s nephew Ryan Park and Park’s wife Kimberly Rita Boito, who were sentenced to 19 months and ten months respectively. Talento received the harshest term – 70 months – after she used different names to play victims in staged accidents and pleaded guilty to charges including mail fraud, wire fraud, and health care fraud.
The U.S. Marshals Service offered a $2,500 reward, which was increased to $10,000, for information leading to Mize’s arrest after he went on the run in 2019. Mize was later spotted entering and exiting a liquor store in Henderson, Nevada. The fugitive, known for his lavish lifestyle and boating hobby, appeared to be dressed as if ready for a boat ride.
“Mize stayed on the run until the U.S. Marshals recently developed a lead indicating he was still living life on the water, finally locating and arresting him at a marina in Jacksonville, Florida,” the U.S. Marshals said.
On November 28, 2023, the U.S. Marshals apprehended Mize in Jacksonville, Florida based on a lead that Mize, using a false identity, was attempting to sell a yacht in which was living in the Jacksonville area. Mize was then located and arrested at a marina in central Florida and transported to Eastern Washington, where he has remained in custody.
Mize was the “artist of injury” in staged accidents involving his wife, children and nephew, revealed by a New York Magazine’s investigation. Months in advance, he planned schemes by purchasing a used luxury car for one of his co-conspirators and secured insurance with high limits – a $100,000 payout per person, $300,000 per accident. He would use a razor or a box cutter to cut the actors’ hairlines, ensuring that real blood would flow and splash convincingly in strategic places.
In addition to this gruesome method, he went so far as to collect the accomplices’ urine and pour it over their clothes, faking the scene as if they had lost consciousness during these “accidents.” Most of these staged incidents occurred at night, when there were no witnesses or surveillance cameras.
U.S. Attorney Waldref stated, “Mr. Mize attempted, but ultimately failed, to avoid the consequences of his fraudulent and dangerous schemes. Over the course of several years, Mr. Mize defrauded insurance companies out of millions of dollars by staging fake accidents that caused real, physical harm to his co-conspirators and others. These schemes greatly increase insurance premiums and costs for everyone, making it more expensive for ordinary Americans to own a car and to have reliable transportation for themselves and their families. I am grateful for the excellent investigative work by our law enforcement partners and prosecutors in my office, as well as the tireless dedication of the U.S. Marshals to locate and return Mr. Mize to the Eastern District, where he finally will be held accountable for the great harm caused by his fraudulent scheme.”
The FBI, Internal Revenue Service, and U.S. Marshals Service investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Fruchter and Jeremy J. Kelley are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.