Bugatti fraudster facing 20 years in jail

FIVE years ago some of the internet expressed a modicum of sympathy for a 34-year-old Texan, Andy Lee House, who accidentally drove his Bugatti Veyron into a bay near La Marque, Texas. Explaining that he was reaching for his mobile phone as he was driving, looked up, saw a pelican, swerved to avoid it and ended up in the water. An accident that was plausible and could have happened to anyone.

House had bought the supercar in 2006 for €750,000. Aware that the rarity of the vehicle would see it rise in price, he wisely insured it for €1.7 million. Bereft at the loss of his cherished car, House filed a claim with his insurance company and collected the money for the written off vehicle.

Fast forward five years and Mr House is facing 20 years in jail for insurance fraud. He had concocted a simplistic but believable ploy to get some money out of his insurance company. As he drove along the bay side, he simply drove into the shallow waters kept the engine running to damage it beyond repair. Unfortunately, Mr House was not aware that another motorist driving on a parallel road, having excitedly spotted the rare Italian luxury car, was filming the Bugatti on his mobile phone.

The driver stunned at the footage he had, posted it on YouTube. Insurance fraud investigators soon discovered footage and the lack of any pelicans as Mr House drove his car into the water, alerted police authorities and the resulting case came to a conclusion this week with a guilty verdict.

The Bugatti Veyron is one of the rarest, fastest and most expensive cars in the world capable of reaching speeds up to 250 mph.

A date for Mr House’s sentencing has not been set yet.