Less than a month after former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his family were killed in a plane crash last year, investigators say two of their “friends” plotted to break into the empty home and take cash, guns and financial information in an attempt to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars.
North Carolina authorities said more than 40 search warrants had been issued, focusing on a married couple who allegedly knew Biffle and his wife, Christina. Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell said the suspects made “a number of plans to try to financially benefit from their deaths.” The AP is not naming the two men because no arrests have been made.
Biffle, his wife, two children and three others died in the Dec. 18 crash, which remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. Some survivors of the victims are suing Biffle and the pilot’s estate, seeking millions of dollars in damages.
According to the search warrant affidavit, the husband under investigation met Biffle while using a private helicopter to deliver aid after Hurricane Helene. The accident occurred weeks after the woman attended a Christmas party at Beavers’ home in Mooresville, North Carolina.
Authorities reported that the home was burglarized on Jan. 8 and $30,000 worth of cash, two Glock handguns and NASCAR memorabilia were stolen. Search warrants were subsequently executed at two locations, one near Beefles’ residence and another in a nearby county.
A detective wrote in a search warrant affidavit that a woman shown on surveillance video appeared to be familiar with the layout of the large home, including the location of cameras, closets and safe rooms. The intruders stayed in the house for nearly six hours from the night of January 7 to the next morning.
Evidence showed a cellphone and multiple devices were active on the property at the time, the search warrant said. The only people allowed there were the estate’s managers, but they were not present.
Authorities said they linked the woman to people attending a celebration of Biffle’s life and said a license plate reader parked her husband’s truck near their home that night.
The arrest warrant also describes alleged financial crimes. Investigators said bank, Venmo and PayPal accounts linked to Biffles were accessed online using personal information, and phone numbers and email addresses were changed to gain control of the funds. The money was then allegedly transferred to an account that did not belong to the family and used for purchases, the warrant states.
At least one fraudulent check related to Biffle’s business interests was cashed, and other attempts were made to access accounts. The event took place in multiple states. The sheriff would not say whether the same suspect in the burglary is under investigation for financial crimes and said the department is waiting for more evidence.
Meanwhile, the plane crash triggered lawsuits against Biffle and the estate of pilot Dennis Dutton and his son.
On April 17, Dutton and his son’s estate sued Biffle’s estate for at least $15 million each, accusing Biffle of failing to properly maintain the aircraft and operating it in a defective condition. The claims include loss of income and “mortal agony.”
In February, Biffle’s ex-wife, Nicole Biffle, filed a notice of claim against Dutton’s estate on behalf of the estate of the couple’s 14-year-old daughter, seeking at least $10 million in wrongful death damages.
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Associated Press writer Allen G. Breed in Wake Forest, North Carolina, contributed to this report. ___
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