An Oklahoma man is facing felony perjury charges after he testified in court his wife had died in an accident. Investigators say his wife is alive and well, and the man’s story was an attempt to garner sympathy and financial gain. 

The case against Lee Patrick Heiligenthal of Claremore, Oklahoma, came to light as part of an unrelated fraud investigation, prosecutors say. 

The affidavit for arrest claims that “witnesses involved in disputes with Heiligenthal outlined that Heiligenthal claimed that his wife had been killed in an accident and that the claim was a manner to obtain money and other things of value.”

On Nov. 19, 205, Heiligenthal allegedly “testified in court that his wife had died about six weeks prior, and that a funeral had been held for her.”

On May 30, 2017, officers with Claremore Police Department went to Heiligenthal’s home and personally spoke to the allegedly-deceased wife, who was “still alive and living with Heiligenthal.”

The affidavit states that Heiligenthal has an “extensive criminal history, mostly for fraud crimes, and has previously been convicted of one or more felony crimes.”

Baron writes for the Claremore, Oklahoma, Daily Progress.