A Texas man who owned a salvage yard for exotic cars has been sentenced to prison after one of the most infamous luxury car crashes ever.
🕴️ The Man Behind the Wheel
- Andy House, a Texas businessman and exotic car dealer, purchased a 2006 Bugatti Veyron in October 2009.
- The car was worth around $1 million at the time.
🌊 The “Pelican Excuse”
Just a month later, House drove the supercar straight into a lagoon in Galveston County.
- First, he claimed he swerved to avoid a “low-flying pelican” 🐦.
- Later, he changed his story, saying he was reaching for his cellphone 📱.
Either way, witnesses — and video evidence — told a different story.
🔧 The Damage
- House left the engine running underwater for 15 minutes.
- Saltwater flooded the Bugatti’s W16 engine, destroying the car completely.
🎥 The Viral Evidence
Unlucky for House, a passerby who just wanted to film the rare Bugatti caught the entire crash on YouTube.
That video became key evidence, proving the car was deliberately sunk.
⚖️ The Insurance Scam
- Before the crash, House insured the Bugatti for $2.2 million.
- He later tried to collect the money but only received a $600,000 settlement 💸.
- Prosecutors revealed it was an insurance fraud scheme.
⛓️ The Sentence
In 2015, House pleaded guilty to wire fraud.
- ⛓️ Sentenced to 1 year + 1 day in federal prison
- 👮 3 years of supervised release
- 💸 Ordered to pay back the $600,000 settlement
He could have faced up to 20 years, but judges noted he “got off surprisingly easy.”
✨ Moral of the story: Don’t sink your million-dollar ride for a quick payout — especially if someone might be filming.
