And they're moving boxes and they're moving a couch. "He told me, 'Look, I gotta talk to you about something,'" the co-conspirator continued. "So we got a call that there was a missing -- a wealthy couple that living there and partying in his home," Ferrer explained. out at Sun Gym. "She According to reports, Jorge wed Jocelyn Nunez in July 2011; as of 2013, the couple reportedly resided in Miami-Dade, Florida. "Very handsome couple, they looked like they were made for each other," Jimenez explained. I hadn't eaten for like three days. [25], Police also arrested Carl Weekes and Stevenson Pierre. All that changed, though, when a police made a stunning discovery. "They drove the van with Schiller inside into the warehouse.". Jorge was a skinny guy, not quite the bodybuilding type. And eventually he passed out," said Jimenez. [4] The Sun Gym gang then took Schiller to Delgado's warehouse. tranquilizer, which they had basically bought to tranquilize the two of "We got information and -- as soon as we got it, we ended up going to Golden Beach," he said. He called his family, telling his wife to take their two young children and flee to Colombia. "Danny Lugo was a Puerto Rican-Cuban kid from the Bronx," added Garafalo. In fewer than 10 years, Frank was living in an upscale Miami enclave Schiller says he was allowed to make one phone call. "Yeah. Schiller was tortured endlessly. I wanna grow, I wanna be somebody very big'" said Barrientos. I would imagine most CPAs in Miami have," she explained. "They're waiting for him to drive by to stage this accident," Ferrer explained. "Miami was riveted as to this attractive But catching Schiller to shake him down was tougher than it looked. [22] On Friday June 2, Marc Schiller returned to Miami, two months after he had first told investigators his story. I guess I was the eagle," said Schiller. Within minutes, Doorbal was strangling And it so happened in this case there was.". She was in love with Danny Lugo and she thought he was her CIA agent.". other," Jimenez explained. "And the doctor said, 'You can't move him. So all their friends assumed that Roberts asked Jimenez. That would be one of the last meals the Sun Gym gang intended for Schiller to have as Lugo put his final plan into action. [14] After this, Furton stopped supplying them with information. In "Lugo's gone, we have a warrant for his arrest," Jimenez said. Garafalo came and "Sergeant Jimenez and Sgt. guys don't have a dime," Ferrer explained. [19] After some time, the Golden Beach Police Department were called. The gang used costumes and comic book code names like Batman and Robin and tried to stage an accident to kidnap Schiller. who they claimed stole $200,000 from a gym member named Jorge Delgado . and petty thieves who hung out at the Sun Gym. In an incredible twist of fate, detectives in another department at Metro-Dade police had also been looking at Danny Lugo and Adrian Doorbal. Don't you know "He was signing over everything, including his life," Levine said. investigator, had never heard anything quite like Schiller's story. Roberts asked Schiller. [19] She acquired the help of Judi Bartusz a friend of Furton and the two entered the empty house together. "This is a warehouse that was rented by one of the members of the Sun Gym Gang," Jimenez told Roberts as they stood outside the building. He was desperate for money and sometimes worked at the Sun Gym. Now, Lugo and Doorbal were front and center of two cases. Finally, after multiple attempts, the "gang that couldn't shoot She Our combination of high intensity group workouts and functional lifting classes will offer greater results in less time. "They were living in the house. "So you had your .45 with you?" Garafalo came and picked me up at the airport and they explained that they just had, you know, they had the bodies. They had injected her with enough horse tranquiller to kill four 1,000-pound horses. Mese appealed, and the State cross-appealed the sentence to the Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District. "While they were beating you?" "They waited in a van and they had their biggest gym rats come out," said Levine. Metro-Dade police had also been looking at Danny Lugo and Adrian Hungarian couple you know, this yellow Lamborghini found in the Jorge Delgado was ambitious and wanted more. . endured, that -- nobody deserves that," she said. I can't explain it," he replied. up -- hands and legs and they were beating on him," the She was only 23 years old. That's my friend Frank. In February 1998, almost three years after the gruesome murders of "The plan was actually very simple: kidnap Marc Schiller, have him write his own ransom and then kill him," she replied. was a CIA agent. Roberts asked. "They were living in the house. Schiller's brother and sister booked an air ambulance, grabbed their Soon, Frank's big sister was on a flight to Miami. "They plied you with alcohol for three straight days" Roberts noted to Schiller. "I was pretty hardcore" he said of his weightlifting. "And they get back to their place, and they go, 'You think we killed Bahamas the -- the-- following day. "There's a lot of things about this case that boggle the mind," said Jimenez. Frank in the bedroom. being a professional diver, was now shot full of horse tranquilizer. "She fell for Danny and believed everything he told her.". own apartments, wearing his jewelry, driving his Dodge Viper, and his "he loved fast cars, beautiful girls and life," Griga said. "' he owes me money' and 'I need you to come with me and help me collect.'". Noel [Adrian] Doorbal, on the other And she just keeps going, 'No you weren't kidnapped, you were drunk, you hit a pole," said Ferrer. In a plea deal, Schiller ended up serving two years in federal prison and paying $137,000 in restitution. [6], That same afternoon, Schiller was waiting for a prospective buyer at a Schlotzsky's franchise delicatessen he owned. "They drive forward and they try to run him over, they missed. Zsuzsanna had seen her brother's love for the glittery side of the American dream. The last of the muscle heads would be busted when Danny Lugo's girlfriend, Sabina Petrescu, told police that Lugo was hiding out in the Bahamas. "Money was there for him to make other people happy and to play, to buy toys," she said. The case would be career defining for prosecutor Gail Levine. He'd been told about it by a woman State Attorney for Miami-Dade County. By May of 1995, five months after his harrowing escape, the Sun Gym gang had burned through all of Marc Schiller's money. "I guess its divine intervention. "It was $1.2 million in cash and assets and a $2 million life insurance the parking lot, " and as soon as he came out of his restaurant, they of Frank Griga into a couch and Krisztina Furton into a large cardboard "I was pretty hardcore" he said of his weightlifting. the trial, he was surrounded by armed FBI agents who arrested him on Roberts asked Schiller. "There's a lot of things about this case that boggle the mind," said Jimenez. "Number one, she was smitten with Danny Lugo, and number two, I think she believed what he was saying -- that he was a CIA operative -- that he was working for the U.S. government in kidnapping people that were dangerous to this country," said Jimenez. The company's filing status is listed as Inactive and its File Number is J19909. Member of executive team reporting to the CEO - VP of Engineering. "They duct taped him they put tape on his mouth and we took off right out of here," said the co-conspirator. Short of bringing him back? He told residents of the neighborhood that his name was Tom and that he and the other gang members were members of the US Security Forces. After his release, With the help of Jorge Delgado, Doorbal and Lugo stuffed the bodies [4] Finally, the gang decided they would kill Schiller with a 2 million dollars MetLife Insurance policy designated to Lugo's ex-wife Lillian Torres as the new beneficiary.[4]. The third dose of tranquilizer was administered, resulting in her death. Don't you know him?' The Sun Gym gang left a massive, bloody trail of evidence. kidnap and torture Frank Griga until he signed over every nickel he had Lugo and Doorbal continue to appeal their death penalty convictions. [4] That first evening the gang made Schiller call his wife and tell her to go with his children to Colombia, giving the gang access to his house. [12] The gang planned to bring Griga back to a warehouse where they could begin to extort him as they had Schiller; however, they were frustrated in their plan when they accidentally killed the victim early. Felix Jimenez explained. screaming 'What do you want, what do you want with me, what are you picked me up at the airport and they explained that they just had, you "First, I can't walk and second of all, who knows how many of these people are out there," he said. I realized that -- I was And what they contain are two bodies," said Jimenez. The neighbor would tell police she'd met the driver of the gold Mercedes and knew his name: Danny Lugo. "And the message that he -- he had out there was you can do whatever you want. Their case was the bizarre kidnapping of another Miami Asked what did they do with the bodies, Levine told Roberts, "Well, they got creative.". "I was in a coma when they picked me up," he told Roberts. Fire!' [24] A month later, information about the missing body parts was supplied by an anonymous caller. "Very handsome couple, they looked like they were made for each I told Delgado that Lugo would get him in trouble one day. In my house," Schiller told Troy Roberts. "Well we couldn't wait for the police," Du Bois replied. His main partner in crime [30] On 15January2003, Mese was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for one count of Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering. "She fell for Danny and believed everything he told her.". Well, at that "And they told him that they were investors and that they had a way to make 20-percent return on the dollar," said Levine. Jimenez explained. [5] The "This case was all over the news," retired homicide detective Felix Jimenez told Troy Roberts. "I guess they were referring to the fact I was Jewish," he replied. depravity. Schiller believed Lugo to be an unsavory character, and expressed his concern to Delgado. consideration," said Ferrer. She says Schiller didn't come forward, because he had his own They were "The plan was actually very simple: kidnap Marc Schiller, have him write his own ransom and then kill him," she replied. The neighbor would tell police she'd met the driver of the gold Mercedes and knew his name: Danny Lugo. "For the first couple weeks, he wasn't even allowed to use the bathroom. Incredibly, one of Schiller's torturers, Jorge Delgado - the Sun Gym member who had first told Lugo about Schiller and his millions - ended up helping the federal government make their case. saw him so they said 'There he is, there he is'". Schiller would eventually tell police a wild story -- that five months before the murders of Frank and Krisztina, Schiller himself had been grabbed by a gang. "We have the housekeeper who was also at the home when the -- the musclemen were there. to go on trial. Lugo and Doorbal, posing as businessmen, lured Frank and Krisztina "So here you have these two muscular guys, and on a Saturday morning, during the middle of the day, it looks like they're moving. but real sick," Schiller said. "He was to punish him . That's where " in fact we mobilized right in this park," Jimenez pointed out. Once their appeals have been exhausted, Florida's governor will sign a death warrant and they will be executed by lethal injection. In Florida. [2] What happened to the Sun Gym in Miami? the Keystone Cops gone bad.". They had injected her with (432) 897-2686. Lugo and Doorbal, posing as businessmen, lured Frank and Krisztina back to Doorbal's apartment. "Him and Jorge Delgado started a mortgage business together," said Jimenez. They set me in a chair, and they give me this concoction, a drink," said Schiller. " and they see this guy that they just lit on fire standing by the side of the road and they yell, 'Run him over, run him over,'" said Ferrer. "His wealth did afford him certain luxury items," Roberts noted. Search warrants were executed for the homes of Lugo and Doorbal and their associates. "Lugo's gone, we have a warrant for his arrest," Jimenez said. "Were you satisfied with the verdict? "I guess its divine intervention. Roberts asked. It's been 18 long years since the gang tortured and killed their way through Miami. So it's like the Keystone Cops gone bad.". The boss was Danny Lugo, the same man at the center of the Krisztina Furton-Frank Griga murder case. Having forced him to sign over his assets, the Sun Gym gang, led by Danny Lugo, was partying in Marc Schiller's house. stupid attempts," Ferrer explained. that. "What person gets kidnapped, held for a month, and when he finally Gail Levine has continued her career at the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office. This is what we would call the gang headquarters," said Jimenez. he was working for the U.S. government in kidnapping people that were women I have ever met in my life. "It boggles the mind that they would return a chain saw that they "They never went out, never read them their rights, they never asked co-conspirator was sentenced to two years imprisonment for his It was Delgado's relationship with Lugo that caused a rift between Delgado and the Sun Gym Gang's first victim: Marc Schiller. out and get the paper at five in the morning and they were gonna kidnap Ferrer explained. plots, though she believed they were undercover CIA agents. "And they started chopping the body parts. him?' murder in the deaths of Krisztina Furton and Frank Griga. And they're "He was Argentinean born, grew up in the U.S., went to school, got his CPA license, he had a medical billing business that did very well," Jimenez explained. Schiller had an even bigger problem: Lugo and Delgado were intent on finishing the job. The Sun Gym Gang were active in Miami, Florida, during the mid-1990s[1] and were responsible for the murders of Frank Griga and Krisztina Furton along with the kidnapping, extortion, and attempted murder of Marc Schiller. [12], The next day May 26, 1995 Griga's body was concealed in Marc Schiller's stolen couch and Furton's body in a U-Haul clothing box. Schiller's nightmare started just as he was about to head for home after work. on fire. In a highly unusual twist, Judge Alex Ferrer stood up for Schiller Hollywood could not resist this crazy scene. She made it onto the pages of Penthouse magazine, but filled the rest of her time as an exotic dancer. "He felt betrayed," Roberts noted to Levine. Detectives learned Lugo was the leader of a group made up of drifters straight" enlisted some serious muscle and planned to take Schiller down "It was one of those days in Miami where a storm was coming in," Schiller recalled. And my sister was there and my brother. The Medicare fraud that made Schiller such an easy target for the gang had come back to haunt him. Search warrants were executed for the homes of Lugo and Doorbal and their associates. "Well we couldn't wait for the police," Du Bois replied. "It made me very proud that my kid brother made it so big," Zsuzsanna Griga said. Danny Lugo learned about Schiller from Jorge Delgado, who also worked "There's sometimes when, as a defense lawyer, you don't have anything They knew they were gonna kill them from the outset," said Ferrer. "While they were beating you?" Sabina Petrescu, the magazine model-turned stripper, had quite a story to tell. suffered what do we do to bring justice to the victims of this case, outside a restaurant he owned. Asked why, she told Roberts, "They needed Krisztina because if Frank was missing, Krisztina was going to go to the police, 'cause why wouldn't she go to the police? friends or extended family raised the alarm. In the frenetic haze of the intensive care unit -- burned and bruised, his pelvis broken -- Marc Schiller tried to tell his story of abduction and torture to nurses, doctors -- anyone who might listen. "We had his girlfriend, Sabina Petrescu," said Jimenez. His name was Marcelo Schiller, and he was known to have a number of expensive homes and money in offshore accounts. missing person that we would respond. her in front of you," said Schiller. give that testimony four times," said prosecutor Gail Levine. But the second chain saw jammed in Krisztina Furton's beautiful, thick hair. He came from Budapest, Hungary, and found a minimum wage job in New York City. He hired Doorbal, a gym rat and steroids abuser, as a part-time employee and cut him in on a lucrative Medicare fraud scheme. "It was a sham," Ed Du Bois said. She knew all the gang's secrets and details of their That would be one of the last meals the Sun Gym gang intended for Schiller to have as Lugo put his final plan into action. police. [9] Through a past girlfriend, Doorbal had been introduced to Attila Weiland, who knew Griga and introduced Doorbal and his "cousin" Daniel Lugo to Griga on May 20, 1995. but they were at the same time malicious and cold-blooded murderers.". In the Hollywood "Mark Schiller was the perfect victim because he was involved in something that was illegal," said Levine. "The victim comes from Colombia. "And he would burn me, you know, burn my skin and then he'd do this again and he was laughing so hard he was crying.". Krisztina Furton would probably be alive today," said Ferrer. Asked if he was money hungry, Barrientos told Roberts, "Yes.". "They just told me, 'We got a matzo ball' " said Schiller. Mese was indicted on October2, 1996, for the kidnapping, extortion, and murders of Furton and Griga in addition to crimes against Schiller. [30] He died of a stroke in 2004. Finally, the daily torture was too much. of her brother, Frank, and his girlfriend, Krisztina Furton in 1995. Asked is she's gotten justice, Zsuzsanna Griga told Roberts, "What sort of justice can be done, OK? The They were now hungry for another score. Ultimately, the rest of the gang went to prison, too. He would have to She made it onto the pages of Posted: (7 days ago) WebSUN GYM, INC. SUN GYM, INC. is a Florida Domestic Profit Corporation filed on June 18, 1986. In May 1995, Danny Lugo and Adrian Doorbal would be at the center of one of the most notorious crimes in Miami history: a complicated and deadly plot that involved kidnapping, money and murder. The actual Sun Gym was shut down in August 1995 after its owner was arrested on kidnapping, money-laundering, and attempted-murder charges. Finally, after multiple attempts, the "gang that couldn't shoot straight" enlisted some serious muscle and planned to take Schiller down outside a restaurant he owned. Police quickly hit pay dirt in the apartment of Danny Lugo's girlfriend. and comic book code names like Batman and Robin and tried to stage an "They basically go 'He's not goin' to the cops he's involved in Medicare fraud. [27], On October2, 1996, Daniel Lugo was indicted on 46 counts and pleaded guilty to all of the charges of indictment, these were: (VII-7- missing. day she arrived. But even Ed Du Bois, with 50 years of experience as a private investigator, had never heard anything quite like Schiller's story. A thousand miles from Miami, Marc Schiller, now supported by his family, began to heal; his body and bones fractured. Danny Lugo learned about Schiller from Jorge Delgado, who also worked out at Sun Gym. "Why are you alive?" him only to be surprised that cars were coming down the street and Frank was completely legal.". "That was a little strange because in homicide we need a crime scene. " and then douse the car with gasoline and set it We had a next door neighbor that had actually been to the house the last time they were seen alive and they invited her in and introduced her to two muscle-bound men that were driving a gold Mercedes and told them they were going out to dinner to discuss a business deal," said Jimenez. Danny Lugo had convinced her he was a spy on a secret mission. "The main guy that we're after, Danny Lugo, is nowhere to be found," said Jimenez. I guess they came at 10 to look for me, to kill us all, all three of us," said Schiller. We had a next door neighbor that had "You believe the jury got it right?" Lugo and Doorbal hatched a scheme to kidnap Marc Schiller, who they claimed stole $200,000 from a gym member named Jorge Delgado. who knows how many of these people are out there. "And I said, 'The easy answer is for you to get out of the hospital," said Du Bois. Police didn't need a GPS. "It's a true rags-to-riches story," said Roberts. Lugo and Doorbal have appealed their convictions multiple times over the past 15 years. He brought me a can of a - canned ravioli, which I had to eat with But detectives had lost their lead suspect, Danny Lugo. "Think my final words were, probably, 'May God have mercy on your soul,'" said Ferrer. immigrant, came to this country with $10 dollars in his pocket and made This is what we would call the gang headquarters," said Jimenez. They were living there and partying in his home," Ferrer explained. [4] Meanwhile, the Sun Gym Gang, after hearing of no one being admitted into the morgue, started calling the area hospitals. Real-life role: Sun Gym Gang mastermind A New York native with a smooth tongue and a disarming smile, Lugo was fresh from serving a 15-month federal prison stint for fraud when he landed at. served time for running a phony loan scam operation. Schiller is a man who cheated death and whose harrowing ordeal is now dramatized by actor Tony Shalhoub in the new movie. strange because in homicide we need a crime scene. "It was disturbing on every level. that apartment," said Jimenez. evidence connecting Lugo and Doorbal to the disappearance of Frank and "And Doorbal's face lights up and says, 'Who has the yellow Lambo?' "So you have a missing Hungarian couple and a Lamborghini," Roberts noted. His main partner in crime was another muscle head, Adrian Doorbal. "These were inept, incompetent people, them," said Ferrer. Prosecutor Levine would eventually lead the investigation and try the Nov 2018 - Mar 20223 years 5 months. Lugo told him to do.". Schiller had an even bigger problem: Lugo and Delgado were intent on finishing the job. On October 2, 1996, Doorbal was indicted and sentenced to the following counts on July17, 1998: Count I Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering 30 years, Count II Racketeering Life Imprisonment, Count III First-Degree Murder (Furton) Death, Count IV First-Degree Murder (Griga) Death, Count V Kidnapping Life imprisonment, Count VI Kidnapping Life imprisonment, Count VIII Attempted Extortion 5 years, Count IX Grand Theft Auto 5 years, Count X Attempted First-Degree Murder Life imprisonment, Count XI Armed Kidnapping Life imprisonment, Count XII Armed Robbery Life imprisonment, Count XIV Grand Theft (Second-Degree) 15 years, Count XLVI Conspiracy to Commit a First-Degree Felony 15 years[30]. A co-conspirator, who "48 Hours" agreed to keep anonymous, worked with the Sun Gym gang to kidnap Schiller. I wasn't involved in that at all.". Frank was completely legal.". "Their Lamborghini was found in an abandoned, wooded area far outside of Miami," said Jimenez. to Frank and Krisztina, there was the kidnap kit -- a case with duct Hollywood could not resist this crazy scene. was very beautiful. "Why didn't either of you go to the police at that point?" Jimenez explained. Schiller and Delgado had been in business. back to Doorbal's apartment. Danny Lugo, was partying in Marc Schiller's house. [4] For weeks, the gang made Schiller tell a series of stories and, under pressure, sign over all of his assets, making dozens of requests for his autographs. She was a finalist in the Miss Romania contest in 1990, then came to the United States to begin a modeling career. "How did this all go down?" Roberts asked Schiller. The Miami millionaire was Marc Schiller, an accountant. 45 counts. Du Bois met Schiller and believed his story. doesn't have enough power. know, they had the bodies. It was that car that caught the eye of Adrian Doorbal. "Sabina Petrescu's probably one of the most beautiful women I've ever "It was probably more than that, it was probably like five days," he said. "You believe the jury got it right?" Noel [Adrian] Doorbal, on the other hand, he was joking. luxury office furniture set, grace harris obituary,
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