Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
Brendan Lawler and Lisa Lawler, a married couple from New Bedford, pleaded guilty on March 25 in federal court in Boston to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The charges stem from a scheme in which they defrauded clients seeking insurance coverage through their business, BL Insurance Brokerage, LLC. U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing for July 22.
The case is significant because it involved the theft of more than $750,000 from at least 50 individuals or insurance providers between March 2023 and March 2024. According to prosecutors, the Lawlers collected payments that were supposed to go toward clients’ insurance policies but instead used the funds for personal expenses.
Court documents show that the couple kept their scheme going by using new client payments to cover outstanding balances owed to other insurers and by issuing fake insurance documents suggesting clients were properly insured. They were charged by criminal complaint in August 2025.
Members of the public who believe they may be victims or have information related to this case are encouraged to fill out an online form provided by law enforcement at https://forms.fbi.gov/victims/BLInsuranceVictims/view.
The charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss amount. Sentencing will follow federal guidelines and statutes governing such cases.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley said valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts Division of Insurance and Insurance Fraud Bureau during the investigation.
