Andy House, a native of Lufkin, was sentenced to 12 months and a day in federal prison for driving his 2006 Bugatti Veyron worth $1 million into a Galveston County lagoon and making a false insurance claim on the vehicle.
The sentence was handed down by Judge Michael Schneider in the Lufkin Federal Courthouse December 15.
House will also have to serve three years of supervised release after her serves his prison sentence.
In October 2009, House purchased the luxury car and had it insured for $ 2.2 million. On November 11, 2009, he drove the car into the Gulf Bay near La Marque, Texas. According to information presented in court, he exited the vehicle while leaving the engine running, letting the motor take in large amounts of saltwater, greatly damaging the automobile.
When first responders finally came to the scene, House told them that he was reaching for his cell phone when he veered off course and accidentally drove into the water. The next day, November 12, 2009, House called his insurer and filed a $2.2 million claim on the car.
House did not anticipate that another motorist had filmed the “accident” from when House purposefully drove into the water, and then posted the video on YouTube.
According to federal court documents, House had settled with the insurer in question, Philadelphia Indemnity, last October 2012.
House was ordered by the court to pay back that settlement, which amounts to $600,000.
