A former deputy with the Lehigh County Sheriff’s Department pleaded guilty in court to burning his car in 2006 to collect money from his insurer.

Antonio Jimenez, 30, of Allentown, Pa., a part-time deputy with the law enforcement agency, admitted to the charge of insurance fraud in court Jan. 20, according to the Allentown Morning Call. The charge, a felony, carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.

Police say that Jimenez burned his 2001 Cadillac Catera in Whitehall Township four years ago, allegedly with the help of Angel Perez, 23, also of Allentown, Pa. Perez is scheduled to appear in court next month to face charges including arson, insurance fraud, and recklessly endangering another person, according to the report.

At the scene of the fire, investigators found containers of lighter fluid and kerosene near the car, leading to the determination of arson. Police say that Jimenez falsely reported the car as stolen to his insurer and to law enforcement, and that he and Perez burned the car in the hopes that Jimenez’s insurance company would pay off his car loan.

Jimenez was a deputy sheriff in Lehigh County for nearly a year, but was fired following his arrest in August 2007 following a grand jury indictment, according to the report.