STATESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A Georgia man burglarized former NASCAR driver Greg Biffle’s home after learning Biffle and his family died in a plane crash, a North Carolina sheriff said Tuesday.
Terrell Williams, 44, has been charged with second-degree burglary, safe cracking, money laundering and other felonies, Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell announced at a news conference. Williams was being held without bond in Cobb County, Georgia, on suspicion of another home burglary. Jail records did not list an attorney.
Campbell said investigators were led to Williams in July, when Cobb County police arrested him and found items taken from Biffle’s home.
Biffle, his wife and his two children, along with three others, died in the Dec. 18 crash, which remains under investigation by the NTSB.
Authorities reported a break-in at the home on Jan. 8 and have said $30,000 in cash, two Glock handguns, NASCAR memorabilia and gold and silver coins were stolen.
Investigators have recovered some of the stolen items, including NASCAR memorabilia, Campbell said. They also found a radio-frequency detector they believe Williams used during the burglary to locate security cameras.
He said Williams is also suspected in another North Carolina burglary that occurred when a law enforcement officer was in the hospital.
“He used headlines, social media posts, different things to find out when people were and were not home, and he executed his plan in that capacity,” Campbell said.
Campbell said investigators have also identified a person of interest in a separate fraud case following the Biffle family’s death.
Investigators have said bank, Venmo and PayPal accounts tied to the Biffles were accessed online using personal information, with phone numbers and email addresses changed to gain control of funds. Money was then allegedly transferred to accounts not belonging to the family and used for purchases, according to a search warrant affidavit.
At least one fraudulent check tied to Biffle’s business interests was cashed, and other attempts were made to access accounts. The activity occurred across multiple states.