You’ve probably never heard of Wandale J. Fulton. But by the end of this story, you might wonder why you haven’t.
Investigators say Fulton and his confederates juggled multiple illegal schemes for years that may have netted them over $322,000 – although the actual number is still uncertain.
Fulton, 40, has been charged in a 21-count federal indictment that alleges he “led an arson and insurance fraud conspiracy between 2013 and 2019.” At the same time, the government charges, Fulton, his co-defendant Jeremy D. Woods, 41, and five unindicted co-conspirators also stole people’s identification and used those IDs in a complex enterprise to buy automobiles from used car auctions in Kansas City.
The fact that Fulton was able to fly under the radar for so long is the result of a complicated and diverse set of schemes that kept him on the fringes of law enforcement’s sight.
“If all I had was illegitimate sources of money and an infinite amount of time on my hands to sit around and concoct fraudulent schemes maybe I could come up with this,” Missouri State Highway Patrol investigator Cpl. Nate Bradley told KCUR as he reflected on the twists and turns of the case.
The indictment claims Fulton and the others made false “representations and promises in insurance applications and claims” and then laundered the money obtained from the insurance companies.
Investigators would spend years unraveling the alleged crimes. In the end,…
