A 56-year-old German man who tried to fake his death in a staged boat accident in the Baltic Sea was sentenced on Wednesday to more than 3 years in prison for attempting to defraud insurance companies, DPA reported on Wednesday, citing Agerpres.

His wife was also sentenced to two years of probation for participating in the scam. A couple allegedly staged a man’s death in a boating accident in the Gulf of Kiel in October 2019 to collect around €4 million from his life and accident insurance.

After faking her husband’s death, the couple hid for several months, first in Hamburg, and then in the German city of Schwarmstedt in the center of the country.

Police found the man during a raid in May 2020, discovering him after the flash of his wedding ring in the light of flashlights revealed where he was hiding behind some boxes.

The pair were convicted following a trial in February 2021, but the Court of Appeal ruled that a new trial was required after the pair were also charged with attempted fraud against several insurance companies.

Insurance companies refused to pay for policies in the husband’s name

Judge Johann Kümmel of the Kiel Regional Court in northern Germany said on Wednesday that the series of letters showed that they intended to “get money as quickly as possible from as many insurance companies as possible”.

Three days after the alleged accident, the man’s wife reported him missing, but the police became suspicious. An expert who analyzed the condition of the boat came to the conclusion that its sinking was caused intentionally.

Insurance companies also refuse to pay out policies after a single-source death is reported, insisting on obtaining a death certificate or confirmation of death from a local court, a process that takes at least 6 months.

The man had 13 unpaid life and accident insurances.