A Florida man was sentenced to three years in jail, after he pled guilty to faking his own death during a family trip to Malaysia.
46-year-old Vij Misir was sentenced to 36 months of imprisonment, three years of supervised release and restitution in the amount of $1.5 million to Midland National Life Insurance Company of Sioux Falls and $495,000 to West Coast Life.
Misir’s then wife, Rajmatee Kapadia, who like him entered a guilty plea of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, faked his death during a family trip to Malaysia.
The couple, who were indicted for conspiracy to commit mail fraud on September 15, 2009, had amassed three separate life insurance policies on Masir’s life totaling $7 million in coverage. Kapadia was the sole beneficiary on the policies.
After staging Masir’s death, Kapadia made claims on the three insurance policies and ultimately collected close to $2 million dollars, the FBI said.
Masir’s remained in hiding for just over five years until, in December 2008, he presented himself at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, attempting to renew his U.S. passport.
Misir pled guilty to the indictment in October 2010. Following his sentencing, Masir was immediately turned over to the custody of U.S. Marshals.
Kapadia, now Masir’s ex-wife, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 25, 2011.
