Leonard Ansill of Jupiter Farms, Florida was arrested Wednesday for allegedly defrauding his investors out of more than $1 million, news sources report. Ansill, 77, was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on charges of organizing a scheme to defraud and grand theft. His bail was set at $70,000. It is not yet known whether Ansill has hired an attorney.
According to reports, Ansill told potential investors that received mortgage payments for multiple valuable properties. These properties included Comfort Inn & Suites locations in both Jupiter and Lantana, as well as several various locations throughout Miami, Sunrise, Pompano Beach, and Fort Lauderdale. Ansill purportedly told the investors that he would share a portion of the mortgage profits in return for their investments.
At least two investors say they began investing with Ansill in late 2009. In June, detectives began investigating Ansill after receiving several complaints from investors. Detectives spoke with the Jupiter and Lantana Comfort Inn & Suites owners, and both reported that they had never heard of Ansill, sources say.
It turned out Ansill never truly held mortgages with either of those properties, as he allegedly led investors to believe. Instead, detectives say Ansill operated a Ponzi scheme, paying investors with other investors' investments. In all, sources say Ansill made off with $1.12 million from six investors. It remains to be seen whether investors will be able to recover any of these allegedly stolen funds.
In other news, Mason Scott Beuning and Wolfe O'Meara of Gainesville were arrested Tuesday for allegedly stealing bomb-making materials from a Wal-Mart, reports say. Detectives later learned that Beuning had created an explosive device and may have been trying to steal materials to make another. Beuning, 18, and O'Meara, 18, were booked into police custody on charges of shoplifting. Beuning faces additional charges of possessing a destructive device. It is unclear whether the duo qualified for bail or hired legal representation.
According to reports, the incident occurred on Tuesday at a Wal-Mart Supercenter on Northeast 12th Avenue in Gainesville. The store's security staff reportedly caught Beuning and O'Meara stealing items that could potentially be used to make a bomb. Wal-Mart security held Beuning and O'Meara at their office until police arrived.
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