New Bedford Couple Sentenced for $962K Insurance Fraud

BOSTON (WBSM) — The New Bedford couple who pleaded guilty to a scheme in which they defrauded clients of their insurance brokerage out of almost $1 million has been sentenced to federal prison.

According to U.S. Attorney Leah Foley, Brendan Lawler, 59, and wife Lisa Lawler, 46, were sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun to eight months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

The Lawlers must also pay restitution in an amount to be determined at a later date.

Details of the $962,000 Insurance Scheme

From March 2023 through March 2024, the Lawlers solicited and collected insurance payments from clients of their Fairhaven brokerage firm, BL Insurance Brokerage, LLC, that should have been paid to their clients’ insurance providers.

Instead, the Lawlers pocketed these payments and used the money for their own purposes. They then used incoming client funds to pay outstanding balances due to the other clients’ insurers. They also created fake insurance documents to falsely suggest that clients were insured.

Over 50 Victims Impacted

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the Lawlers defrauded at least 50 individuals or insurance providers, and stole more than $962,000 from individual customers, insurance providers, premium finance companies, and hard money lenders.

The Lawlers were arrested in August 2025 and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in March 2026.

Prominent New Bedford Political Family Lineage

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.

The SouthCoast's Most Memorable White-Collar Crimes

On the SouthCoast, it's not always drug dealing or catalytic converter thefts. White-collar crimes like fraud, embezzlement, wage theft, and bribery can cost hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of dollars.

These locals thought they hit the jackpot....until they were caught. Here are some of the biggest or most memorable recent cases of people siphoning money from places they shouldn't.

Gallery Credit: Kate Robinson