August 21, 2009, Marcus Schrenker, 38, of McCordsville, Indiana, a former money market manager who was accused of milking millions from investors, was sentenced in the Northern District Court of Florida on Wednesday for making a false distress call and intentionally crashing his plane. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison required to pay $34,000 to the U.S. Coast Guard, and pay and another $871,000 to the lien holder on his Piper Malibu Meridian Aircraft.

Schrenker while in-flight reported to air traffic control that his aircraft's windshield had imploded and that he was injured. Moments later Schrenker placed the aircraft on autopilot and then parachuted from the aircraft. He was be investigated by Indiana authorities for milking millions from investors. Shortly after the allegations surfaced in Indiana he attempted to fake his death by crashing the plane we was piloting. Prosecutors said he fled Indiana in the single-engine plane in January to escape financial ruin and a crumbling marriage.

On January 10, Schrenker traveled to Harpersville, Alabama, in a pickup truck carrying a red Yamaha motorcycle with saddlebags containing money and supplies. He returned to Indiana after placing the motorcycle in a storage facility, telling the owner he would return and retrieve the motorcycle the following Monday.  

On January 11, 2009, Schrenker departed in his single-engine Piper Meridian from an airfield in Anderson, Indiana, scheduled to fly to Destin, Florida. Near Birmingham, Alabama, he made a distress call, telling air traffic controllers that his windshield had imploded and he was "bleeding profusely." 

He then set the plane to autopilot and parachuted out. The plane flew on, crossing Alabama before ultimately crashing in Santa Rosa County, Florida. Military jets that had been dispatched to intercept Schrenker's plane discovered it in flight, with its door open and cockpit empty. They followed the plane until it crashed just north of Milton, Florida at about 9:20pm. The plane had flown 200 miles (320 km) on autopilot and crashed 50 to 75 yards from a residential area. Upon inspecting the crash site, police discovered a United States atlas and a national campground directory, both of which had the Florida and Alabama sections torn out.  

After parachuting to the ground, Schrenker made his way to a private residence in Childersburg, Alabama, arriving around 2:30am on January 12. Appearing wet from the knees down, he told the resident he had been in a canoeing accident. He received a ride into town, where he made contact with the local police station. Not yet linking Schrenker to the crash, the police brought him to a hotel in Harpersville, where he checked in under a false name and paid for his room with cash. When police returned later that morning, he had fled on foot into nearby woods.  

Schrenker then traveled to the storage facility where he had earlier located his motorcycle, and then rode the vehicle to a KOA Campground in Quincy, Florida. Without offering his name, he told the owners of the grounds that he was traveling cross country with friends, using cash to purchase a one-night tent site, firewood, and a six pack of Bud Light Lime. He was also given access to the campground's wireless internet.  

On January 12, Schrenker emailed neighbor and friend Tom Britt, stating the crash was "a misunderstanding" and that he had checked into the motel because he was “embarrassed and scared" of returning home. He also said that he would likely "be gone" by the time Britt read the email. The same day, a Hamilton County Superior Court judge froze the assets of both Schrenker and his estranged wife.