Two Pierce County Men Charged In Fake Suicide Plot

TACOMA, WA — Two Pierce County cousins were charged in federal court Thursday, accused in a plot to fake a suicide so one man could go AWOL from the U.S. Army, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Devin Schmidt, 20, a former soldier at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and Ryan Bell, 21, of Bonney Lake each face a charge of sending a false distress signal to the U.S. Coast Guard.

According to the criminal complaint, Schmidt and Bell came up with a scheme to film a fake suicide video at Ford Warden Historical State Park in Dec. 2019, so Schmidt could end his military service and move to Mexico.

Prosecutors said Bell sent the video, showing his cousin waving goodbye, to law enforcement in Port Townsend, claiming he found Schmidt's dog tags, phone and other belongings on a cliff above the beach.

The U.S Attorney's Office said Bell filed a missing person report, knowing his cousin was alive, and triggered a 10-hour Coast Guard search and rescue effort in inclement weather on Dec. 19, 2019. Prosecutors said the estimated cost of the search was $172,000.

According to the criminal complaint, Bell's mother became suspicious of details in the missing person report and told investigators her son had said Schmidt was missing and suicidal hours before he had received the video.

Investigators said a review of messages on Bell's phone and social media revealed both men planned to meet at a Port Townsend McDonalds later in the evening. Police were waiting at the location and arrested them.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said the penalty for making a false distress call is punishable by up to six years in prison, $100,000 in civil penalties and $250,000 in fines, plus the financial cost of the rescue effort.

Both men are scheduled to appear before a judge in the U.S. District Court in Tacoma on June 4.