Car insurance news
Man claims on car insurance for buried BMW
An Ohio man has been sentenced to a year in prison after he buried his car and told his motor insurance company that it had been stolen.
Matthew Mueller collected $20,000 in a car insurance payout after submerging the vehicle on his father’s land in the rural backwaters of northeast Ohio. He was facing a huge bill after blowing up the engine of his 1997 BMW, and unable to afford the repairs, so began his elaborate plan.
His car insurance firm saw nothing amiss and happily paid out for a replacement vehicle when they received Mueller's claim for theft in October 2002.
A year later, fearing that his deception would be discovered, the 35-year-old attempted to unearth the BMW but gave up when his earthmoving equipment became clogged up with mud. He then reburied the car and thought no more about it.
In 2005, however, police received an anonymous tip from a member of the public and went to investigate. Digging in Mr Mueller's father's fields, they discovered the BMW just where it had been buried, still with its broken engine and starting to get somewhat rusty.
At Portage County Common Pleas Court Matthew Mueller was ordered to repay his car insurance company, as well as $15,500 towards the cost of recovering the vehicle. He was also sentenced to a year in jail for motor insurance fraud, tampering with evidence, falsification and receiving stolen property.
Mueller, who already has convictions for disorderly conduct and assault, apologised for his crimes and said, "It was stupid and completely out of character. I broke the law and tried to conceal it."