Man Who Faked His Own Death Over Almost R7.8m Covid19 Relief Scam Sentenced to 56 Months in Prison
- A man in the United States has been sentenced to 56 months in prison after trying to scam Covid19 business aid scheme
- After his unsuccessful scam attempt and arrest, David Staveley faked his own death while he was in home detention
- His accomplice is identified as David Andrew Butziger and both of them pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud
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David Staveley from Massachusetts who tried to scam a Covid19 business aid scheme faked his own death to evade authorities has bagged a 56-month jail term.
In 2020, Staveley lied that he co-owned four big businesses in need of nearly $544,000 (R7.8 million) in support from a federal government programme, BBC reports.
Source: UGC
Staging a suicide
After being charged, the man staged a suicide, after which he used false identities and stolen licence plates to flee.
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His accomplice is identified as David Andrew Butziger.
When Staveley was released to home detention, the 54-year-old man disconnected his electronic monitoring device and left a suicide note with associates and family members and packed his unlocked car by the ocean before eloping.
Staveley was re-arrested
He was re-arrested three months after a manhunt was launched for him. He pleaded guilty to the charges against him.
Butziger also pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in November.
Man who faked his death re-arrested after six years
In similar news, a fugitive has finally been apprehended after being on the run for years and even faking his own death.
Christopher Timberline from Georgia was wanted out of Bibb County near Macon, US, after violating his probation for a case back in 2015.
The man was on probation after the attempted murder of his girlfriend which he was convicted and served time.
He violated his probation, faked his death and disappeared until he was arrested in Oklahoma City.
Man who escaped from prison almost 30 years ago surrenders
Briefly News previously reported that a man who spent almost 30 years on the run after escaping from prison handed in himself to law enforcement officers.
Darko Desic allegedly used a hacksaw blade and bolt cutters to escape from an Australian Prison.
The New South Wales Police force released a statement on Wednesday, September 15, indicating he broke out of prison on July 31, 1992.
Source: Briefly News
Maryn Blignaut (Human-Interest HOD) Maryn Blignaut is the Human Interest manager and feature writer. She holds a BA degree in Communication Science, which she obtained from the University of South Africa in 2016. She joined the Briefly - South African News team shortly after graduating and has over six years of experience in the journalism field. Maryn passed the AFP Digital Investigation Techniques course (Google News Initiative), as well as a set of trainings for journalists by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at: maryn.blignaut@briefly.co.za
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
