Bugatti-in-the-gulf-case: Man pleads guilty to wire mail fraud (w/ video)

Editor's note: Steven A. Meyerowitz, Esq., is a director of FC&S Legal. FC&S and PC360 are both owned by Summit Professional Networks.

Andy Lee House, a 39-year-old Lufkin, Texas, man, has pleaded guilty to wire mail fraud in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

According to information presented in court, in October 2009, Mr. House purchased a 2006 Bugatti Veyron for $1 million and had it insured for $2.2 million.

Prosecutors said that on November 11, 2009, House drove the vehicle into the Gulf Bay near La Marque, Texas, and upon exiting the Bugatti, left the motor running, resulting in the engine taking on large amounts of salt water, which destroyed the vehicle.

See details of House's initial claims and insurer Philadelphia's fraud allegations: Insurer–Don't Blame a Pelican for Submerging Your Bugatti 

According to the government, House reported to first responders he was reaching for his cell phone when he swerved and accidentally drove into the bay. The next day, prosecutors said, House called his insurance carrier and filed a $2.2 million claim on the Bugatti. House did not know, however, that another motorist had videoed the accident, including the moment House drove the vehicle into the water, and then had posted the video to YouTube (warning: strong language in the video below):

House faces up to 20 years in federal prison at sentencing.