Matthew Muller, 35, a resident of Akron, Ohio was sentenced to a year in prison for insurance fraud for burying his dead BMW and collecting $20,000 for the car he reported stolen.
The car had been buried by Muller in October 2002 with the help of a rented backhoe. He later filed an insurance claim, officials said.
A year after he buried the car, Muller had tried to dig it up but gave up when he found the equipment had become too encrusted in the mud, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Muller was ordered this week to reimburse the State Highway Patrol and Ohio Department of Transportation for the $15,500 the agencies spent to dig up the 1997 BWM with a blown engine. The car was found on Muller's father's property.
Despite an apology by Muller, who said what he did was "out of character," the judge noted prior disorderly conduct and assault convictions that the judge said showed "a real character flaw."
Judge Joseph Kainrad told Muller that "when you are in trouble, you'll do anything to get out of it."