CAMDEN — A southern New Jersey man has become the fifth person to plead guilty in a botched attempt to sink a fishing boat to collect insurance.
Fifty-year-old Arthur “Todd” Vitola of Wildwood pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy to destroy the Alexander II in August 2009. The boat’s owner and three other men previously pleaded guilty to similar charges.
Vitola faces a maximum prison sentence of five years and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced in April. The coconspirators also will be responsible for restitution to the Coast Guard and others.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office contends the defendants sought $400,000 in insurance money. They allegedly took the boat to a point about 86 miles southeast of Cape May and tried unsuccessfully to sink it, after falsifying the ship’s log.
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