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The story started barely two years ago, in October 1993. It began when a MONY salesman sold a $730,900 life insurance policy to a caterer named Dean M. Lyles.
It continued through a mandatory physical examination that was performed on a stand-in for Lyles. Blood and urine samples were provided by the stand-in, David Lee Tully, and the identification he provided was a birth certificate.
Why? Lyle had AIDS and he was dying.
The exam came back clean and the policy was issued. Then, six months later, with coverages in full force and effect, Lyles suddenly died. Tully, the beneficiary, filed a death claim.
The cause of death was listed as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy … a condition known to be caused by AIDS.
The finely woven plans unraveled.
Lyles’s physician stated he’d been treating Lyles for AIDS for three years, beginning long before the policy was purchased.
The visiting nurse identified a picture of Tully as the patient Lyles.
And felony theft charges were filed against Tully by the Maryland Attorney General’s office.
The story ends with Tully pleading guilty to attempted theft and being sentenced to six months of home detention, 500 hours of community service and a $1,000 fine.
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