A small town banker accused of stealing millions of dollars from investors before faking his own death was also on the hook for a hefty search bill from the U.S. Coast Guard, too.
Georgia law enforcement says that Aubrey Lee Price, 47, was arrested Tuesday in Georgia after being pulled over for illegally tinted windows. When questioned by police for possessing multiple fake I.D.’s, Price admitted to being a former Valdosta, Georgia banker who is wanted by the FBI for stealing $21,000,000 before he faked his own death and took off.
Price was reported missing on June 18, 2012 when family member in George told the Coast Guard they had received a certified letter, believed to be a suicide note from Price, stating that he intended to jump off the Key West Express Ferry in Naples, Florida. The note prompted a Coast Guard search and rescue from Fort Meyers to Key West involving a HC-130 Hercules aircraft and an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft.
The Coast Guard says the hoax placed rescuers unnecessarily in harm’s way and cost taxpayers thousands of dollars, more than $173,000 to be exact.
The cost of operating a Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircraft is $17,866 per hour and the cost of operating an HC-144 Ocean Sentry Aircraft is $15,354 per hour, the Coast Guard said.
Creating a hoax or making a false distress call is a felony punishable by law. The maximum penalty for making a false distress call is six years in prison, a $5,000 civil fine, a $250,000 criminal fine and reimbursement to the Coast Guard.
Tags:
Unlock Exclusive Insights Today!
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
The Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association UK (WISTA UK) marked its 50th anniversary with a celebratory event highlighting five decades of progress and ongoing efforts to promote diversity and...
STOCKHOLM, July 22 (Reuters) – A U.S.-Canadian anti-whaling activist has been detained in Greenland and faces possible extradition to Japan which has issued an international warrant for his arrest, the Arctic island’s...
By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) – U.S. sanctions have proven successful in suspending production at Arctic LNG 2 and delaying the expansion of the project, according to a U.S. State Department...
31 mins ago
Total Views: 42
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.