Indiana pilot issued phony distress call

PENSACOLA, Fla., Jan. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. prosecutors say an Indiana pilot who allegedly crashed his light plane to fake his own death is guilty of making a phony distress call.

Marcus Schrenker, 38, of Fishers, Ind., was indicted on federal charges of issuing a false distress call in connection with a Jan. 11 plane crash in Florida, in which authorities say Schrenker parachuted from his small plane and purposely let it crash in Santa Rosa County, Fla., the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal reported Wednesday.

Schrenker, who was arrested last week at a campground in Chattahoochee, Fla., could face up to 20 years in prison, a fine or both if convicted of intentionally crashing the plane, the newspaper said.

Officials said the Indiana financial adviser was to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Miles Davis on Monday in Pensacola, Fla., for a detention hearing. Schrenker also faces criminal charges in Indiana, where he is accused of two felony counts alleging that he worked as an investment adviser without being registered, the News Journal said.