2nd Man Pleads Guilty in Grisly South Carolina Fraud Case

A second man has pleaded guilty in connection with an insurance scheme that cost a mentally disabled man his left hand.

U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles says 58-year-old David Player pleaded guilty in Columbia, S.C., on Thursday to mail fraud.

Last month, Gerald B. Hardin pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge. Authorities say Player took out accidental death and dismemberment insurance policies on a third man and convinced Hardin to help him cut off the man’s hand in exchange for a share of insurance money.

The men originally told authorities they had been trimming trees at Player’s home when Hardin dropped the saw. But Hardin said Player tied the man’s arm to a tree limb Hardin sawed off his hand.

Sentencing for both men is set for Dec. 14.