OHIO MAN BURIES DEFUNCT BMW TO COLLECT INSURANCE

Matthew Muller, 35, a resident of Akron, Ohio, was sentenced to a year in prison for insurance fraud for burying his dead BMW and collecting $20,000 for the car he reported stolen. The car had been buried by Muller in October 2002 with the help of a rented backhoe. He later filed an insurance claim, officials said.

A year after he buried the car, Muller had tried to dig it up but gave up when he found the equipment had become too encrusted in the mud, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Muller was ordered to reimburse the State Highway Patrol and Ohio Department of Transportation for the $15,500 the agencies spent to dig up the 1997 BWM with a blown engine. The car was found on Muller’s father’s property.

Despite an apology by Muller, the judge noted prior disorderly conduct and assault convictions showed “a real character flaw.”