Million-Dollar Car Crash Mystery
Feb. 22, 2006 -- -- Stefan Eriksson claims he was only a passenger in the million-dollar Ferrari that slammed into a pole and broke in half in Malibu, Calif., on Tuesday morning. But if it turns out he was lying to the police and he was the driver of the car, that may be the least of his troubles.
According to a Los Angeles Sheriff's Department investigator, Eriksson, 44, is a former Swedish executive in a failed hand-held gaming company. The company, Gizmondo, reportedly lost $225 million last year before filing for bankruptcy.
Eriksson resigned from Gizmondo in October after a Swedish newspaper claimed he was also known as "Fat Steffy" and was convicted in Sweden in the 1990s for involvement with Sweden's Uppsala mafia.
Sheriff's Sgt. Philip Brooks told ABC News that he received a call from the Bank of Scotland claiming that the bank was in the process of repossessing the car and that Eriksson owns a second Ferrari Enzo with a questionable registration.
Eriksson, he said, is still considered the passenger and although he was legally drunk at the time of the accident, he is not in custody.
According to eyewitnesses, the Ferrari was racing a second car, an SLR Mercedes, apparently also owned by Eriksson. The Enzo was traveling about 120 mph when it went airborne and struck the power pole while at least five feet off the ground.
Eriksson was seated in the passenger seat when law enforcement arrived. He identified himself as a Bel-Air resident, and claimed another man who had been the driver had fled the scene.
According to Brooks, only the driver's side air bag deployed during the early morning accident and Eriksson suffered cuts and bruises and was bleeding. "The only blood on the car was on the driver's side," Brooks said.
If an investigation determines Eriksson was in fact the driver then he faces several misdemeanor charges, including lying to police, reckless endangerment and drunk driving.
"For a million dollars, you get a very good safety system, and in this case it worked," said Brooks.
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