There have to be easier ways to get a nice car than this, right?
There's a 49-year-old woman from Portsmouth, Virginia named Alexandra Hatcher. And two years ago, she came up with an elaborate scheme to get rich . . . by faking her own death.
First she went to Washington state and legally changed her name. Then she and her husband Albert Hatcher whipped up a fake death certificate and published a death notice in the newspaper . . . and he submitted claims for her life insurance.
And once they got the money, they went on a SHOPPING SPREE. They bought 20 fancy cars . . . and when they couldn't afford some of them, they used fake checks. Then they flipped those cars as collateral for loans for more cars.
But these two weren't the master criminals they were trying to be, and the cops were able to figure out what was happening pretty quickly.
Alexandra and Albert both just pleaded guilty to several charges, including bank fraud, counterfeiting, and mail fraud. They're both facing up to 30 years in prison.
(FULL STORY -- Virginian Pilot)
(Here are their mugshots.)