Owners Sink Sportfishing Boat In Attempted Insurance Fraud

Two men pleaded guilty in San Diego federal court Wednesday to conspiring to sink their 57-foot sportfishing charter boat in an insurance scam. Christopher Switzer, co-owner of Eclipse Sportfishing based in Mission Bay, and Mark Gillette, co-owner of the boat named Commander, were rescued from the sinking vessel on Oct. 11, about seven miles south of Dana Point. Gillette told rescuers the boat was rapidly taking on water and the pumps couldn’t keep up, according to a search warrant affidavit. He estimated the boat would be underwater in an hour.