A South Carolina man admitted to severing a disabled man’s hand with a saw to collect about $671,000 in insurance money.
The man, Gerald Hardin III, of Cayce, S.C., pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy to commit federal mail fraud in federal court.
He allegedly worked with another man, David Player, who took out the policies on Michael “Porkchop” Weaver, 52, who was described by officials as a “mentally disabled…illiterate, alcoholic” and an accomplice in the scheme, according The State newspaper.
Prosecutors say Hardin and Player used a pole saw to remove the left hand from Weaver, who they tied to a tree with rags. The two men took Weaver to a hospital, saying he had been injured in a tree-cutting incident.
Hardin told U.S. District Court Judge Cameron Currie that he was using crack cocaine at the time.
The policies were to pay Player, a childhood friend of Weaver’s who had power of attorney for Weaver since 1995, if Weaver died or was dismembered.
The plot was uncovered by Player’s wife, who found documents regarding the scheme during divorce proceedings.
Article by: IFAwebnews Staff
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