A federal jury has convicted two former Maryland police officers of multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, arson, and bank fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
Philip James Dupree, 41, formerly of the Fairmount Heights Police Department, and Mark Ross Johnson Jr., 38, formerly of the Prince George’s County Police Department, worked together on two separate fraud schemes outlined in a nine-count indictment.
In November 2018, the men orchestrated the burning of Johnson’s Ford F450 truck while on duty. Dupree was arranged to “discover” the burning vehicle and file a false impound report. Johnson then claimed a total loss from his insurer, receiving over $68,000 based on the fraudulent documentation.
Between May and June 2019, Dupree and Johnson, along with others, defrauded financial institutions by falsely reporting their debit cards stolen and claiming unauthorized ATM withdrawals. Dupree submitted a fabricated police report, including a fake officer’s name, to support his claim, which was never officially recorded.
Both face up to 20 years for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud, at least five years for arson affecting interstate commerce, and up to 30 years for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud. Sentencing is scheduled for February 2026.
