A North Fort Myers man is facing fraud, perjury and arson charges after deputies say he purposely set his car on fire to get insurance money.
On Thursday, Nov. 14, Lee County Sheriff's deputies found an SUV engulfed in flames by Grade Nalle and Granville Road.
LSCO determined it was arson. They contacted the car's owner, Reggie Higgs. He told officers he was aware his car was missing but figured crews repossessed it because he was behind on payments.
On Nov. 16, Higgs filed an insurance claim, saying someone stole his SUV and set it on fire.
Doug Nellans with the Insurance Center says special investigators always look into claims like this. In this case, LSCO said Higgs lied and set his car on fire himself
"Not only will it not be successful, but you're likely to be put on a blacklist and will be unable to purchase auto insurance for many, many years. Not to mention the criminal penalties that are attached to it," said Nellans.
Higgs was arrested by LCSO deputies on Nov. 19. Nellans says he will likely be banned from big providers for at least 10 years.