continuing with arson

continuing:

The biggest case of arson that had to deal with insurance scams involved a Chicago trading and investment firm executive named Marc Thompson. Enjoying a life filled with luxurious spending, he was heavily under debt of about $672,000. Very short on cash, Thompson devised a plan that would help him collect cash from his insurance on his house, which was worth about $730,000. So in August 11, 2002, he lead his mother into the basement of the house, poured lacquer thinner all over the walls, and set the house ablaze, hoping to disguise his crimes as a suicide attempt by his mother. His mother, sadly, died from the amount of carbon monoxide that was produced from the smoke left by the fire. Thompson’s plan actually convinced officials into believing his plan, until they realized his financial plans. After the house burnt down, Thompson claimed the $600,000 from his insurance. Playing it safe, Thompson put $400,000 in an opened bank account in Curacao under the name of a fake shell corporation. By doing so, he was able to transfer some money back to Chicago and disguised the transaction as a consulting fee. He, then, declared bankruptcy in May 2003, listing “$2,773 in assets and $672,494.11 in liabilities on his bankrupt petition.” It was only soon enough that federal agents realized that Thompson was in debt and after he claimed the $600,000 from insurance, he still declared bankruptcy. As they were able to make sense of what actually did happen, Thompson was soon ordered for arrest for the murder of his mother and fraud. Charged with 19 count of bankruptcy fraud, the murder of his mother, and other charges, Thompson faced 115 years in prison and him giving up the $600,000 he claimed from insurance. However, after three hours for the jury to decide Thompson’s fate, Marc Thompson was sentenced to 190 years in prison.