Post by Scumhunter on Oct 18, 2014 19:19:20 GMT -5
(Above photo credit: FBI.Gov)
Fugitive Profile as of October 18th, 2014 (Based on FBI Wanted Poster):
Date(s) of Birth Used: February 3, 1947
Place of Birth: North Carolina
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 208 pounds
Occupation: Attorney
Hair: Gray
Eyes: Brown
Sex: Male
Race: White
Nationality: American
Who to call if you've seen him: Local FBI field office or embassy or submit a web tip at tips.fbi.gov
The FBI has issued a 'Wanted' notice for a Broward County lawyer accused in a $19 million fraud — declaring him "armed and dangerous" — after he failed to show up for an April 29 court hearing.
Michael Ralph Casey, 67, of Oakland Park, has been missing for two weeks, according to the FBI in Miami.
Casey was indicted in August 2012 on federal mail and wire fraud conspiracy charges for his alleged involvement in what prosecutors said was an international investment scheme that defrauded more than 700 investors out of approximately $19 million in less than 18 months.
Federal prosecutors said that Casey, who practiced law in Fort Lauderdale for 36 years, conspired with two convicted felons to defraud investors. Casey was once the chairman of the Broward County Bar Association's Corporation, Banking and Business Law Section and had worked for several well-known law firms.
Casey "should be considered armed and dangerous," according to FBI officials. Anyone with information about him should contact their local FBI office or the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.
FBI spokesman Michael Leverock said the warning was issued for the safety of any law enforcement officer or member of the public who comes into contact with Casey because agents were told that Casey may have access to a firearm.
"We also believe that anyone who flees while their case is going through the court process can be considered desperate," Leverock said.
Casey was the president and in-house lawyer for Commodities Online LLC, a company that promised returns of up to 33 percent on short-term commodities contracts, according to federal prosecutors.
Authorities said there were no profits, and investors who asked for cash payouts were paid with money that came from new investors.
The Fort Lauderdale-based company was shut down in April 2011 after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission obtained a civil court order against the company. Casey and several co-defendants were later indicted on criminal charges.
Casey was free on bond shortly after his arrest in September 2012.
He was released on a $50,000 bond secured by his wife and her parents, according to court records. He was placed on house arrest with electronic monitoring and ordered to obey a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, although he was allowed to leave his home — with prior permission from pre-trial release officials — for some purposes, including visiting relatives in North Carolina, court records show.
Efforts to contact Casey's wife and other relatives on Tuesday were unsuccessful.
Casey's attorney, John Wylie, said he is concerned for his client's safety.
"We were looking forward to defending the case, and we will do it if I'm given the opportunity," Wylie said Tuesday. "Everybody involved, including the FBI, hopes that nothing bad has happened to him. We don't know what has happened, so we can't make any assumptions."
Wylie said he did not want to comment on his client's state of mind when they last spoke, and did not want to discuss when he last spoke with or saw Casey.
FBI officials would not comment on the details of how Casey disappeared or where he might be.
Casey is white, 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighs about 208 pounds and has gray hair and brown eyes, authorities said.
U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard issued an arrest warrant for Casey after he failed to show up for a pre-trial hearing in federal court in Miami. The trial has been postponed to August.
One of Casey's co-defendants in the case, James C. Howard III, 55, of Parkland, pleaded guilty to his role in the case and is serving 15 years and nine months in federal prison in Miami. He was ordered to pay more than $18.9 million in restitution.
Clients were lured in during presentations at local luxury hotels and were told they get big returns by investing in the buying and selling of commodities such as fish, iron ore and sugar, according to the criminal charges.
Casey worked for the company from February 2010 to April 2011, first as counsel and later becoming president with control of the bank accounts, investigators said.
Investigators said Casey was the front man for the business, but it was actually run by convicted felon Howard. Howard served prison time in the late 1990s for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm while trafficking drugs, records show.
Howard and the company's vice president, Louis N. Gallo III, 45, of Parkland, siphoned off millions of dollars, some of which was transferred overseas in the weeks before the company was shut down, authorities said.
Gallo also had a criminal past and was serving federal probation for bank fraud and a drug charge while he was operating the company, according to investigators. Gallo is locked up at the federal detention center in Miami and is scheduled to go to trial with Casey.
articles.sun-sentinel.com/2014-05-13/news/fl-fugitive-lawyer-michael-casey-20140513_1_fbi-officials-broward-lawyer-federal-prosecutors
www.fbi.gov/wanted/wcc/michael-ralph-casey/view
Admin Note: If you have any news-related updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form
I also figure to give some variety, we'd put an alleged con artist fugitive in the forum exclusive section, since although we have many in the fugitives on tv categories, we have none currently in this section. 
