Correira murder suspect sentenced to federal prison for fraud

ANCHORAGE -- A man who is facing charges in the slaying of Bethany Correira was sentenced Thursday to serve 41 months in a federal prison and pay $420,000 in restitution for his role in a conspiracy to defraud Allstate Insurance and Wells Fargo Bank, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's office in Anchorage.

Michael A. Lawson, 47, was arrested Feb. 19 at his Eagle River residence on a federal warrant that accused him and his brother, Robert Lawson, of defrauding Wells Fargo Bank of more than $600,000 through their now-defunct business, Lawson Roofing and Remodeling.

The brothers entered guilty pleas in April.

While in custody, Robert agreed to speak to Anchorage Police Department Detective Glen Klinkhart about the disappearance of Correira, a 21-year-old former Talkeetna resident who went missing from her Anchorage apartment in May 2003.

Robert told police he received a call from his brother May 3, 2003, and that Michael said he had shot someone. Robert told police he helped Michael dispose of Correira's body that night in a gravel pit just outside Talkeetna.

For months Correira's disappearance remained a mystery.

But shortly after the brothers' arrest in February, Robert took members of the Anchorage Police Department and federal law enforcement agents to a location off the Parks Highway where Correira's body had been dumped.

A thorough search could not be conducted due to extreme weather and deep snow. Police returned to the location in May and recovered Correira's skeletal remains, which were identified by dental records.

Michael Lawson was charged in connection with Correira's murder in May and remains in state custody at the Anchorage jail in lieu of $2-million cash-only bail.

In both a written plea agreement and in sworn testimony in open court in April, Michael Lawson admitted that he and his brother conspired to obtain money from Allstate Insurance and loans from Wells Fargo Bank by concealing his felony criminal record.

Michael had been convicted of aggravated sexual assault in Illinois in 1988 and was sentenced to seven years in state prison. The conviction also led to a federal firearms charge.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Bradley pushed for the 41-month sentence, the high end of the sentencing range for his crimes, but moved for a downward departure for Robert based on his cooperation and assistance in the Correira murder investigation. The departure was granted by the court.

Chief U.S. District Court Judge John W. Sedwick ordered the Lawson brothers to jointly pay nearly $70,000 in restitution to Allstate Insurance and more than $350,000 to Wells Fargo Bank.

Michael Lawson remains in state custody. He is expected to go to trial March 7 in Anchorage Superior Court on charges stemming from Correira's death -- including first- and second-degree murder, kidnapping, conspiracy, arson, tampering with evidence and misconduct involving weapons -- and will serve his federal sentence after the conclusion of that case.

Contact John Davidson at john.davidson@frontiersman.com.