BALTIMORE — This week one of two former Maryland police officers convicted of arson and fraud was sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison.
Philip James Dupree, 41, of Pikesville, and Mark Ross Johnson, Jr., 38, of Camp Springs, joined forces in carrying out a pair of scams.
Dupree was a former Fairmount Heights Police officer, while Johnson once served with the Prince George’s County Police Department.
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Back in November 2018 Johnson’s Ford F450 truck was experiencing mechanical and electrical problems.
According to the feds, he and Dupree coordinated to burn the truck in order to recoup insurance money.
For his part, Dupree wrote a false police report saying he "discovered" Johnson's truck burning while on-duty.
Johnson, in turn, used the report to file an insurance claim.
What they didn't mention was they actually planned the whole thing out together on the phone.
The insurance company hired a private investigator to look into the fire. They determined it was intentionally set.
Despite their findings, the insurance partially relied on Dupree's report resulting in Johnson being paid $68,000.
That's just part of it.
Dupree and Johnson later withdrew money from their own bank accounts only to fabricate police reports claiming it was stolen hoping banks would reimburse them.
Prosecutors described one such report as a "complete fake," containing the name of a "non-existent police officer."
Johnson will learn his fate on June 2.
