Dentist collected millions in life insurance after killing wife in Africa, feds say

A Pennsylvania-based dentist is accused of defrauding insurance companies out of nearly $5 million after authorities say he killed his wife during an African hunting trip.

Lawrence Rudolph and Bianca Finizio Rudolph were married for 34 years before Finizio’s 2016 death in Zambia, according to federal officials. The couple often hunted together, making frequent trips to Africa and other continents.

Rudolph, 67, said he was in the bathroom of the couple’s cabin on Oct. 11, 2016, when he heard a gunshot and saw his wife bleeding on the floor, according to a federal affidavit. The shotgun fired when his wife was trying to pack it into its case, Rudolph alleged. But in the days and weeks that followed, Rudolph’s behavior tipped off investigators that something was amiss.

Five years after his wife’s death, Rudolph was charged with foreign murder and mail fraud. An arrest warrant was issued for Rudolph on Dec. 22 and he was indicted this month in Colorado, where one of the alleged defrauded insurance companies has an office.

“This is an outrageous prosecution against Dr. Larry Rudolph, a man who loved his wife of 34 years and did not kill her,” his attorneys said in a statement to KDKA. “Back in 2016, his wife had a terrible accident during a hunting trip in Zambia. The investigators on the scene concluded it was an accident. Several insurance companies also investigated and agreed. Now, more than five years later, the government is seeking to manufacture a case against this well-respected and law abiding dentist. Dr. Rudolph looks forward to his trial where he will demonstrate his innocence.”

Finizio was shot “straight on the heart” and photographs of Finizio taken by an embassy official at the funeral home indicate she was shot from a distance of 6.5 feet to 8 feet, investigators said.

A Colorado medical examiner, who reviewed the photographs, believes it would have been nearly impossible for Finizio to fire the weapon herself, the FBI special agent said in the affidavit.

“In my opinion, it would be physically impossible to accidentally fire this shotgun in its carrying case and produce the entrance defect noted on the body of Ms. Rudolph,” the medical examiner said. “The tip of the carrying case was most likely at least two feet from Ms. Randolph when the weapon was discharged regardless if it was on cylinder or full chose settings. Further, it would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for Ms. Rudolph to reach the trigger of this weapon even if it was placed in the case with the muzzle pressed against her chest.”

A friend of the Rudolphs said the arrangements for Finizio’s body “seemed rushed” and she did not understand the “sense of urgency in getting the body cremated,” according to court documents.

Rudolph was allegedly “livid” when he learned the embassy official observed Finizio’s body and took photographs at the funeral home.

Investigators later learned Rudolph filed life insurance claims to seven companies from Oct. 31, 2016, to Nov. 7, 2016. He was paid $4.87 million by the companies by March 2017, court documents show.

But the investigators said Rudolph filed those claims as “part of a scheme to defraud those companies and to obtain money through false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises.”

The friend of the couple, who believes Finizio would have been against cremation because of her religion, said Rudolph would never “divorce her because he doesn’t want to lose his money,” according to federal officials.

Witnesses were also interviewed about Rudolph having an affair, which investigators believe is a possible motive for Finizio’s alleged murder. Among the witnesses was a former employee of Rudolph’s Three Rivers Dental, the workplace where the dentist allegedly had a long-term relationship of 15 to 20 years with a manager at the office.

That girlfriend allegedly gave Rudolph “an ultimatum of one year to sell his dental offices and leave Bianca,” according to FBI officials. She was allegedly living with Rudolph as early as January 2017, three months after Finizio’s death.

“In addition to the evidence of the motive — the insurance proceeds and the possible desire to live openly with (the girlfriend) — additional evidence gathered during the investigation supports my conclusion that there is probable cause to believe that Bianca Rudolph did not die by accident and was, rather, killed by Lawrence Rudolph,” according to the FBI special agent.

Rudolph’s attorney asked the court last week for a temporary release from the Colorado detention and be moved to Arizona, where he has a home. The attorney cites health risks, as Rudolph has a “severe heart problem.”

This story was originally published January 12, 2022 at 2:03 PM with the headline "Dentist collected millions in life insurance after killing wife in Africa, feds say."