Girlfriend’s Calls Lead to ‘Dead’ Man
- Share via
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A man was accused Wednesday of faking his death in a scuba diving accident off the Florida Keys to collect on a $1-million life insurance policy.
Kerry Steven Scheele, 29, was arrested in Beloit, Wis., and faces extradition to Florida. He was charged with application fraud, claims fraud and first- and third-degree grand theft.
Scheele led his estranged wife and others to believe he drowned during a lobster diving trip in August, according to Insurance Commissioner Bill Nelson.
Investigators later tracked him down through phone records linked to a girlfriend.
Investigators said Scheele named the girlfriend as beneficiary on a $1-million life insurance policy. She left Monroe County, Fla., within days after his reported drowning, but not before making a number of long-distance calls, investigators said.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
