Eagle River man pleads guilty to tax crimes, firearms charges

ANCHORAGE -- Michael A. Lawson, 47, pled guilty April 21 in U.S. District Court, admitting that he conspired to commit bank fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering, and that he was a felon in possession of a firearm, according to a release from the United States Attorney's office.

Lawson was arrested as he left his Eagle River residence in February on federal indictments charging that he defrauded Wells Fargo Bank of more than $600,000 in connection with his business, Lawson Roofing and Remodeling, according to the release. Lawson defaulted on a large portion of this sum, and sold tools and equipment that he had used as collateral for loans from Wells Fargo. The indictment also stated that Lawson and his business partner and brother, Robert Lawson, used much of thei money to buy cocaine.

Lawson's current conviction stems in large part from a prior conviction for sex crimes in Illinois, where he was convicted of aggravated sexual assault in 1987, the release said. Federal prosecutors argued that both Lawsons had conspired to conceal this conviction and thus obtain preferred status from Allstate Insurance. This preferred status allowed the Lawsons access to an increased number of roofing contracts issued by Allstate, the indictment said. Lawson confirmed these crimes in both a written plea agreement and in sworn testimony in open court.

The Illinois conviction also led to his plea to the firearms count. Following his sex crime conviction in 1987, he served three years of a seven-year sentence and was released on probation in 1990. Under an agreement with the two involved states, Lawson moved from Illinois to Fairbanks in 1992. Upon moving to Alaska, he was required to register as a sex offender within 24 hours, but the indictment stated that he had failed to do this. Lawson only recently registered as an offender in Alaska, in October 2003, the indictment stated.

He reportedly admitted that he had possessed a handgun, despite his prior felony conviction. Persons convicted of felony punishable by more than a year in jail are prohibited by federal law from possession of any firearm.

Lawson's sentencing is set for July 30. Maximum sentence on the firearms charge is 10 years in prison, while the maximum sentence on the conspiracy charge is five years.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service, the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service and the Anchorage Police Department.

Contact Daniel Spoth at daniel.spoth@frontiersman.com.