Apparently, the Mercedes-Benz found buried in a Silicon Valley backyard was part of an insurance fraud scheme. Police revealed Thursday that they believe the suspect hid the vehicle for insurance fraud.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, investigators determined the Mercedes was buried in the 1990s for insurance fraud purposes.
Located about 30 miles south of San Francisco, the convertible was uncovered last month by landscaping workers in Atherton.
After an excavation, police investigated the scene using cadaver dogs and ground-penetrating radar, and no human remains were discovered.
In September 1992, Johnny Bocktune Lew reported his car stolen, and his insurance company paid him $87,000 to $88,000 as a result. San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said to Fox News Digital.
His family lived in the high-end home where the Mercedes was found until 2014 after building it in 1990.
Lew had a history of colorful history of criminal activities. According to the Chronicle, Lew was accused of paying people to sink a $1.2 million yacht in international waters in 1999 to cash in on the insurance.
A 1977 attempted murder conviction led to Lew’s imprisonment for three years.
According to court records, Lew was also convicted of killing a 21-year-old woman in Los Angeles County in 1966. Based on court records, the Chronicle reported that the California Supreme Court reversed his conviction in 1968, making use of hearsay evidence that should not have been permitted at trial.
In her own words, his daughter described him as a “sketchy” person suffering from “emotional issues.” She told the SF Chronicle, “My father definitely had emotional issues … this wouldn’t surprise me, just based on how sketchy my father was.” She talked about visiting him in and out of jail during her childhood.
According to police, the current owners of the mansion on Stockbridge Avenue did not know that the car had been parked on their property until they hired landscapers to finish some yard work.