BC man sets car on fire, makes insurance claim
A 24 year-old Quesnel, B.C. man was a little too eager to get behind the wheel of a new vehicle.
In October 2008, Michael David Garcia told local RCMP officers that his newer-model Honda Civic was stolen from his home. Garcia filed an insurance claim with ICBC and two days later, bought a 2003 Hummer, thinking he would be getting a payout from the insurer for his ‘stolen’ Honda. Days after the purchase of the Hummer, Garcia’s burned out car was found in a 4×4 pit area in Quesnel.
An investigation by the RCMP and ICBC’s special investigations unit uncovered that prior to making the theft claim, Garcia had attended the Honda dealership in Quesnel to find out what the buyout would be on his 2008 Honda and mentioned that he was looking to upgrade to a Hummer. After Garcia had reported the theft and made the insurance claim, he told ICBC that he had not considered selling or trading the vehicle.
Investigators determined Garcia set fire to his car and staged the accident. The B.C. Supreme Court in Quesnel has recently convicted Garcia of four criminal charges: public mischief, arson for fraudulent purposes, perjury and fraud over $5,000.
