New Jersey Man Gets House Arrest in Boat-Sinking Scam

A New Jersey man has been sentenced to eight months of house arrest and five years of probation for his role in a botched attempt to sink a fishing boat three years ago for $400,000 in insurance money.

Fifty-year-old Arthur “Todd” Vitola of Wildwood received the sentence Monday, three months after pleading guilty to conspiracy.

Four other people, including the boat’s owner, have also pleaded guilty in the case.

Officials say the group took the Alexander II to a point 86 miles southeast of Cape May in August 2009 and unsuccessfully tried to sink it after falsifying the ship’s log.