Lufkin man gets 1 year prison for false insurance claim in Bugatti case

LUFKIN, TX (KTRE) - A federal judge has sentenced a Lufkin man who drove his million-dollar car into a Galveston County lagoon to 12 months and a day in federal prison after he made a false insurance claim on the car.

Andy House will also have to serve three years of supervised release after he gets out of prison.

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

House reported to first responders he was reaching for his cell phone when he swerved and accidentally drove into the bay. On Nov. 12, 2009, House called the insurance company and filed a $2.2 million claim on the Bugatti. However, House did not know that another motorist had videoed the accident, including the moment House drove the vehicle into the water, and then posted the video to YouTube.

Federal court documents appeared to have shown House had settled with Philadelphia Indemnity in October 2012.

House must also pay that settlement back, which was revealed in court to have been $600,000.

Judge Michael Schneider handed down the sentence Tuesday in the Lufkin Federal Courthouse.

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