What did Lawrence Rudolph do?
Lawrence Rudolph seemingly had it all. He had a trophy wife in Bianca Rudolph and a multimillion-dollar dental empire out of Pittsburgh. He was a well respected guy in the community… until it all fell apart. He and Bianca were proficient big-game hunters, with numerous trips out to Africa.
In October 2016, during one such trip in Zambia, Lawrence’s wife was found dead, with a shotgun wound to the chest. At the time, Lawrence protested innocence, claiming that Bianca “shot herself from an accidental discharge from her shotgun while putting it back in its case”. He also tried to rush through the funeral, pushing for a cremation. However, parts of this case just do not add up.
What was Lawrence Rudolph’s testimony?
Contrary to Lawrence’s testimony, officials and the FBI believe that the gunshot didn’t happen at close range. In fact, Bianca may have been shot at around 6-8 feet away.
After Bianca’s death, a “friend” apparently contacted the FBI in South Africa and told them to investigate Rudolph further as they suspected foul play.
Apparently, Lawrence was having an affair at the time of Bianca’s death with a woman called Lori Milliron. Lawrence was also “verbally abusive” toward Bianca and the pair fought over money.
Bianca was a strict Catholic so the fact Lawrence would even suggest cremation goes against her religion. Larry’s motivation for money stems from what happened after the big-game trip gone wrong.
The Life Insurance Claim
Following their trip to Zambia, Rudolph claimed nearly $5 million in insurance benefits. He managed to secure the payout through seven individual life insurance companies.
The Daily Beast managed to obtain cellphone transcripts showing a number of big payments to the hunting guide that corroborated Rudolph’s story, which only adds to the suspicion.
Rudolph paid the guide 30k in January 2016 and then two months later another 23k, just three months after Bianca died.
What happened during the trial?
At the trial, John Dill, an attorney for Lori Milliron, said the sentence given to his client was longer than what is normally given out for charges of its nature. He argued that this was “excessive” and decided to appeal. While Milliron was given 17 years behind bars, Lawrence was convicted in 2022 and found guilty by a federal jury on one count of murder in a foreign country and one count of mail fraud.
Where is Lawrence Rudolph now?
Lawrence was sentenced to life in prison on August 21st 2023. The court found that Rudolph shot his wife with a 12-gauge shotgun that was enclosed in a soft-shell case on the last day of the hunt, scheming to make it look like an accident.
When he returned to the States, Rudolph filed his fraudulent life insurance claims.
Prosecutors want Rudolph to pay $4.9 million in restitution to the insurance companies, forfeit $4.8 million from bank accounts, as well as giving up real estate in Arizona. He also needs to give back two luxury vehicles — an Aston Martin DB-11 and a Bentley Bentayga — according to court documents.
As of right now, Lawrence Rudolph is behind bars, having been sent to a federal correctional facility.
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