Son of Former New Bedford Mayor, Wife Arrested in $700K Insurance Fraud

BOSTON (WBSM) — The son of a former New Bedford mayor, along with his wife, were arrested this morning by federal authorities for their alleged involvement in a scheme to defraud at least 50 people who sought coverage through their insurance business out of more than $700,000.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Brendan Lawler, 58, and Lisa Lawler, 45, both of New Bedford, were charged with one count each of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud connected to their business, BL Insurance Brokerage, LLC.

Both Lawlers will appear in federal court in Boston today at 3:30 p.m.

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New Bedford Police Posted About Federal Activity in the South End

Adrian Ventura, Executive Director of the Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores and an advocate for the immigrant community, posted a photo this morning just before 8 a.m. of the federal law enforcement near the Lawlers' home in the city's South End. He wrote in his post that there was potentially ICE agents in the city based on the photograph, but New Bedford Police shared Ventura's post and clarified that it was "court-authorized activity" that was "part of an ongoing FBI investigation and does not involve ICE."

How the Alleged $700K Scheme Worked

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that the charging document alleges that from March 2023 to March 2024, the Lawlers “solicited and collected insurance payments from their clients, which should have been paid to the clients’ insurance providers. Instead of paying the insurance companies what they were owed, the Lawlers allegedly pocketed their clients’ payments and used the money for their own purposes.”

It is alleged that the Lawlers kept the scheme and the business going by using incoming client funds to pay outstanding balances due to other clients’ insurers. They also allegedly created and distributed to clients documents that said they were insured.

BL Insurance Brokerage’s Collapse

BL Insurance Brokerage, which had been located in the Lifestyles Plaza in Fairhaven, closed in March 2024. That same month, both the business and Lawler himself had their insurance licenses revoked by the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation’s Division of Insurance.

Brendan Lawler's Connection to Former New Bedford Mayors

Brendan Lawler is the son of former New Bedford Mayor Brian Lawler, who served from 1983-1985. His grandfather, Francis Lawler, also served as mayor from 1956–1961.

Potential Penalties If Convicted

If the Lawlers are convicted, the charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud each could bring a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the loss to the victim.