Their boat went down the river to Florida and Robert Angle, 78, and his wife Joyce, 77, may be going up the river.
The Slidell, La., couple have been accused of insurance fraud and other charges linked to a Hurricane Katrina claim and face up to 10 years in jail.
According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (DWF) the Angles reported that their boat was gone after the August 2005 storm, collecting money on it from their insurance company.
An investigation began, however, after the supposedly lost boat showed up registered in Florida. DFW authorities claim that the Angles sold the boat to people from Lee County, Fla. Agents with DWF and the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) launched a joint investigation into the matter.
The Angles have been cited for theft by insurance fraud, filing false public documents, and injuring public records. They each face up to 10 years in jail and a $3,000 fine if found guilty of theft by insurance fraud. Injuring and filing false public records each bring a fine up to $5,000 and up to five years in jail.
Paying the Angles' claim, the insurer for the Slidell couple is the legal owner of the boat at the center of the case. The company has since seized the watercraft.
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