Brendan Lawler and Lisa Lawler, a married couple from New Bedford, pleaded guilty on Mar. 25 in federal court in Boston to conspiracy to commit wire fraud related to their business, BL Insurance Brokerage, LLC. U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun has scheduled their sentencing for July 22.
The case centers on 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 from clients who believed they were purchasing insurance coverage but instead kept the funds for personal use.
Authorities said that rather than forwarding payments to insurance companies as promised, the Lawlers used new client funds to pay off outstanding balances owed by other clients and distributed documents falsely indicating that clients were insured. The couple was 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 a form available at https://forms.fbi.gov/victims/BLInsuranceVictims/viewLinks. The charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss involved.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Division announced the plea. The Massachusetts Division of Insurance and Insurance Fraud Bureau assisted with the investigation.