Remains Found in Sunken Vessel
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AT ALL THREE KEYS SAVE UP TO SHOP EARLY LOCATIONS FOR BEST OFF SELECTION 60% RETAIL! CLEACLEARANCERANCE One-of-a-kinds GOING s ON KEY LARGO MARATHON KEY WEST discontinued items 305-451-5700 305-743-4397 305-295-6400 scratch-n-dents NOW! MM 99 in the Median MM 47.5 Ocean By Publix, Searstown www.KeysFurniture.com WE’RE OVERSTOCKED!! WWW.KEYSINFONET.COM WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2014 VOLUME 61, NO. 77 G 25 CENTS MISSING DIVER IN THE COURTS Cay Clubs execs face new federal counts arrested in the Caribbean on Cristal Coleman federal mail-fraud counts can no longer charging that they used a Keys bank account to ille- afford attorney gally skim money from a Cayman Islands firm. By KEVIN WADLOW Last week, U.S. attorneys Senior Staff Writer filed new bank-fraud counts [email protected] linked to Cay Clubs, accus- ing the Clarks of acting “to Two former Cay Clubs unlawfully enrich them- Resorts and Marinas execu- selves by misleading and tives were hit this week with defrauding investors and five new criminal counts lending institutions...for directly related to the $300 themselves and third parties million failure of that notori- and for their personal use ous Florida Keys firm. and benefit.” Fred “Dave” Clark, 56, The new 25-page indict- and wife Cristal Coleman ment says the Clarks were Clark, 41, will be in Key active in issuing “false West federal court Monday promises” on property-value for arraignment on new appreciation and expected charges of bank fraud and income from Cay Clubs conspiracy. vacation-rental units pur- Photo by Joe Citelli “The defendants are chased by investors. A diver looks over a sailboat belonging to missing diver Noah Cullen. Human remains, believed to be Cullen’s, were alleged to have defrauded The firm reportedly sold found on the vessel. numerous persons in the units at unrealistic high Florida Keys and may have prices to insiders so they operated one of the largest could obtain higher bank fraud schemes in the history loans when the units were of Monroe County,” says a resold to investors. motion filed Sept. 17 by the Promised improvements to Remains found office of South Florida U.S. aging resorts never took Attorney Wifredo Ferrer. place. The Clarks have been “Cay Clubs came to oper- held in Monroe County jail since June, after both were See Cay Clubs, 2A in sunken vessel MARATHON By CAMMY CLARK Authorities say they boat, Bleser said. [email protected] Next came positively likely belong to Noah Cullen identifying the boat as the Overseas case Several miles off the Jubilee. For this mission, a coast of Key Largo, in dark There also were tips that northwest of Molasses remotely operated underwa- and cold water more than Cullen, a 2008 graduate of Reef. No signs of life on ter vehicle was borrowed 300 feet below the surface, Coral Shores High School, board were evident. The from Lad Akins, head of the goes federal two volunteer technical may be in the Bahamas. boater took a photograph, Key Largo-based Reef divers made the dangerous “We had a lot of reasons alerted authorities and left Environmental Education The ordinance was writ- descent to a sunken sailboat to hope, only to be let the area. Foundation. Estate says ten in 2006. Mayor Dick in search of its missing cap- down,” Cleary said. “So it’s A massive air and sea At the end of August, ordinance was Ramsay said the lawsuit has tain, 24-year-old Noah bittersweet to find his body search was launched. The Bleser and his stepson sent moved to a higher court Cullen. in the boat, although we U.S. Coast Guard and local the ROV down to the wreck meant to harm since the lawsuit alleges The divers, Joe Citelli probably always have and state agencies, as well and made the confirmation. Cinque and Lucignano and Steve Muslin, found known he was in there.” as a small army of volun- The final step was get- By WILLIAM AXFORD abused their positions of what is believed to be The tragedy began on a teers, covered about 5,000 ting tech divers who were [email protected] power while serving on the human remains inside the nice Monday morning, nautical square miles over willing to make the risky city planning commission. cabin and retrieved a small when Cullen decided to take several days. While the offi- dive. That led to Citelli and The lawsuit filed against “When you have allega- sample to be analyzed. his sailboat to the reef to go cial search was called off, Muslin, who have about 50 two Marathon elected offi- tions that elected officials While positive identifica- free diving. He had tried to the Upper Keys dive com- years of combined experi- cials — and business own- interfered while they were in tion through DNA could get friends to go with him munity did not give up. ence. ers — accused by a com- office, that starts to get into take months, Monroe but ended up going by him- “Noah was a member of Said Citelli: “When I petitor’s estate of trying to some very heavy legal mat- County Sheriff’s Office self. the dive community, his heard the kid’s age, I said to lower the value of the ters,” Ramsay said. investigator Vince Weiner He set sail from his stepfather co-owns one of myself, ‘This could be my estate’s business with a Cinque, who is running said, “There is no indication mother’s house, near mile the local dive shops and we son or my grandson. I know liquor license ordinance is for city council, said the it is anybody but him.” marker 100 of the Overseas take care of our own,” how I would feel in the heading to federal court. lawsuit is a political attack Cullen’s mother, Tanya Highway, and a few hours Bleser said. position of those parents.’ The complaint filed by on his campaign. Cleary, said Monday she later was spotted at noon at The first step was find- Steve and I thought it was Marathon attorney Richard “The lawsuit is complete- believes it is the remains of French Reef by a boat cap- ing the sailboat. A sonar important to get it done.” Warner, a representative of ly without merit,” Cinque her son. He has been miss- tain with Quiesence Dive scan conducted near the last Citelli, whose impressive the Joseph Ardolino II said. “I’m confident it’s ing since Aug. 4, when a Center. known sighting of Cullen’s diving résumé includes a estate, alleges former going to be dismissed.” boater spotted his 28-foot Cullen had just finished boat showed what appeared 430-foot dive 140 miles off- Marathon mayor Mike In an August article, sailboat sinking after a free diving and began sail- to be a boat just 80 yards shore to identify the ship- Cinque trespassed onto Cinque told the Keynoter storm, and Cleary said she ing toward shore. “The cap- away, but this proved not to wreck Joseph M. Cudahy, Ardolino’s Overseas Liquor that the property where he is beginning the grieving tain watching him was be the case. said he also didn’t want to and Lounge property in installed his sewer lines was process. impressed with his [sailing] Bleser thought that the have less-experienced tech December 2005 when owned by the city in 2005. “We wanted closure, but abilities,” Rob Bleser, cap- boat likely sank before the divers push their limits and Cinque installed sewer Cinque was issued permits this is also extremely tain of the Key Largo Coast Guard began its aerial have it turn into a “double pipelines for his restaurant, by the city to install the painful,” Cleary said. Volunteer Fire Depart - search. Starting with the last disaster.” the Stuffed Pig. sewer lines. “We’ve had such a strange ment’s Water Emergency known point, he calculated Citelli and Muslin both The lawsuit also alleges Warner did not return seven weeks going through Team, said at the time. a model based on the direc- used rebreathers, a closed Ralph Lucignano, owner of calls before press time. this. We even had a person That would be the last tion, flow and speed of the circuit system in which Marathon Liquor and Deli, Lucignano declined to come to us saying Noah was time Cullen was seen alive. current. exhaled gases are played a part in preventing comment on the case mov- in the witness protection About an hour after he was “I figured the maximum scrubbed of carbon diox- the Overseas from selling ing up to federal courts. program, which is crazy.” seen leaving French Reef, a distance it could have trav- ide and replenished with booze by helping craft a city In the same August arti- The last tweet posted on storm rolled in with light- eled was 9,500 feet,” he fresh oxygen so the mix- ordinance that prevents cle, Lucignano told the Cullen’s Twitter account ning, heavy rains and winds said. ture can be breathed liquor stores from operating Keynoter the lawsuit is a @bathyphile came on the of up to 25 knots. On the third attempt again. Mixed gases are within 1,500 feet of each “complete fabrication and morning of his disappear- After the storm passed, using this model, sonar used because air becomes other or a school. The slanderous” and that Warner ance. It said: “Noah Cullen at about 2:30 p.m., the from a private boat detected toxic below 218 feet, Overseas, located near mile is accusing him of cornering is dropping out for a bit boater spotted the sinking what appeared to be a sail- Citelli said.