New Jersey man admits faking his disappearance, prompting 2-day search
CAMDEN - A man who authorities say faked his own disappearance to avoid prosecution on bank fraud charges, prompting a two-day search by the Coast Guard, has pleaded guilty to federal counts.
Andrew Biddle faces up to 36 years in prison when he’s sentenced on Oct. 18.
The 51-year-old Egg Harbor Township man pleaded guilty Wednesday to the bank fraud charge and causing the Coast Guard to render unnecessary aid.
The bank fraud charge was filed in 2014 after federal prosecutors say Biddle lied to secure a $55,000 loan from a credit union.
Biddle and another unnamed person then plotted to fake his disappearance. He eventually turned himself in to Atlantic County authorities in February 2015.
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