Atherton

Car Buried in Atherton Backyard Possibly Hidden for Insurance Fraud Purposes: Investigators

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The mystery surrounding a car buried in an Atherton backyard may have been solved.

Investigators said Thursday that they believe the Mercedes Benz convertible was possibly buried for insurance fraud purposes. It was under four to five feet of dirt.

The Mercedes Benz was discovered during a landscaping project last month.

The car was reported stolen back in the 1990's and had been there before the current homeowner moved in.

The owner of the car and former owner of the mansion on the property Johnny Bocktune Lew had been accused in hiring people to sink his yacht worth $1.2 million to cash in on the insurance.

Police may never know all the details about the buried car because Lew died in 2015.

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