Accused L.I. Fake Death Plotter to Surrender to Cops at Hospital, Lawyer Says

Raymond Roth was feared drowned off Jones Beach but later turned up in South Carolina

The Long Island man accused of trying to fake his own death in an alleged insurance scam will surrender himself Wednesday to police at the psychiatric hospital where he has been staying since his return to New York, his lawyer tells NBC 4 New York.

Raymond Roth of Massapequa will surrender to State Parks Police, who will take him to the Jones Beach barracks to process him, his lawyer Brian Davis said. Roth has been staying at an undisclosed Long Island hospital to receive psychiatric treatment

Roth's son, 22-year-old Jonathan Roth, was charged last week in the alleged scam. Investigators said he falsely reported that his father disappeared July 28 at Jones Beach in an apparent drowning.

Days later, he allegedly schemed with his father to collect more than $50,000 in life insurance benefits.

Following a search and rescue effort that lasted for several days and cost tens of thousands of dollars, the elder Roth was reported to be alive at a Florida resort and later was issued a speeding ticket in South Carolina.

In court papers, Jonathan Roth admitted to investigators that the drowning never happened. He "was fully aware that his father never walked into the water and had in fact driven off in his own personal vehicle," according to the criminal complaint. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Jonathan Roth has pleaded not guilty and was being held on $10,000 bond.

The younger Roth's attorney has said the relationship between father and son was "strained" and "unfortunate." He said he intended to investigate how the alleged plot unfolded and indicated he would examine whether Jonathan Roth was coerced into cooperating with his father.

"We'll be talking a lot about his relationship with his father and how he feels about his father," Jackson said.

Also last week, Roth's wife, Evana, claimed that she had been abused during their 12-year marriage and obtained a restraining order against her husband. She also announced plans to file for divorce. She said she had no idea that he was plotting his alleged disappearance until she uncovered emails sent from father to son alluding to the scheme.

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