A Texas pilot who survived a 2012 crash into the Gulf of Mexico has admitted that the crash was staged to commit insurance fraud.
Theodore Robert Wright III pleaded guilty last week to conspiring to commit wire fraud and conspiring to commit arson, according to the Associated Press. Wright could face up to 40 years in federal prison for the crimes.
Wright became a minor celebrity in 2012 when he ditched his Beechcraft Baron in the Gulf of Mexico and shot video of the adventure on his iPad. However, authorities began to suspect that Wright had intentionally crashed the craft in order to collect an $85,000 insurance payout – nearly twice what he’d paid for the plane.
Further investigation led authorities to suspect that Wright had been involved in the destruction of several vehicles – including another plane and a Lamborghini – in order to collect insurance money. Prosecutors said that Wright and three others – who’ve also pleaded guilty, according to the AP – bought boats, planes and cars, over-insured them, and destroyed them to collect the payouts.
