my hands.". The Miami millionaire was Marc Schiller, an accountant. They were In the new movie "Pain and Gain", Lugo is portrayed by Mark Wahlberg. "She Garafalo, also retired, worked the case for his boss, Felix Jimenez. of the muscle heads would be busted when Danny Lugo's girlfriend, Sabina boyfriend," Levine explained. "It was probably more than that, it was probably like five days," he said. It was that car that caught the eye of Adrian Doorbal. This is what we would call the gang headquarters," said Jimenez. women I have ever met in my life. I'm grabbed from behind by three guys," said Schiller. [4] When Lugo inspected the wreckage, Schiller was alive but unconscious. spin it and pull the trigger," Jimenez explained. Schiller would reunite with his family in Colombia. "I signed. First published on February 22, 2014 / 10:59 PM. What is the Sun Gym now? In all, seven members of the gang would do time. Danny Lugo learned about Schiller from Jorge Delgado, who also worked out at Sun Gym. Petrescu was another recent immigrant who made a splash in Miami. Hungarian couple you know, this yellow Lamborghini found in the "So they went to Home Depot and bought a chain saw. Incredibly, one of Schiller's torturers, Jorge Delgado - the Sun Gym Finally, the daily torture model-turned exotic dancer named Sabina Petrescu. [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. "You must have been terrified," Roberts commented. And we were all in a panic," he said. friends or extended family raised the alarm. "I started calling him and he wouldn't pick up the phone," Zsuzsanna Griga said. "We were parked right there," the man said, standing with Roberts in the parking lot, " and as soon as he came out of his restaurant, they saw him so they said 'There he is, there he is'". "It was disturbing on every level. I run into them by accident, I'm dead.". could you come down to Miami?' "For the first couple But even Ed Du Bois, with 50 years of experience as a private "I'm a good hearted person. Then, Lugo demanded she give up the access code numbers to Frank Griga's Real-life role: Sun Gym Gang turncoat . It would be months before Schiller could grasp the full horror of how but real sick," Schiller said. out and get the paper at five in the morning and they were gonna kidnap "They also needed Krisztina," said Levine. box. You can't claim misidentification. 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. [30] On July20, 1998, Mese was sentenced to 56 years imprisonment for the kidnapping and extortion of Schiller, after a judge set aside the convictions for the Griga and Furton crimes.[30]. The third dose of tranquilizer was administered, resulting in her death. Jimenez explained. For hours," said Levine. of the world until May 24, 1995. Delgado, one of Lugo's clients at the gym, had once worked for. 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]. As investigators put the pieces together, Marc Schiller's kidnap story echoed like thunder. "It's a comedy, which is unfortunate, because there was nothing funny Posted: (7 days ago) WebSUN GYM, INC. SUN GYM, INC. is a Florida Domestic Profit Corporation filed on June 18, 1986. Roberts asked Du Bois. wide," Jimenez continued. them a question, they never even said, 'Hello, here I am. " and then douse the car with gasoline and set it Sometimes, it was with fire. Please enter valid email address to continue. them," said Ferrer. Other times, they played Russian roulette. Schiller's nightmare started just as he was about to head for home after work. Soon, both men realized. invited her in and introduced her to two muscle-bound men that were "How many times did you insist you had been kidnapped?" during the middle of the day, it looks like they're moving. affiliated with CBS. Jorge Delgado snitched on Lugo and Doorbal. charges relating to an extensive Medicare scam. [10], Lugo involved his girlfriend, Sabina Petrescu, who believed that Lugo was a Central Intelligence Agency agent and that she was assisting him in his mission to capture a Hungarian businessman who was guilty of using women for sex and circumventing US tax laws. They moved into They were living there and partying in his home," Ferrer explained. [22] On Friday June 2, Marc Schiller returned to Miami, two months after he had first told investigators his story. Sabina Petrescu, the magazine model-turned stripper, had quite a story to tell. Schiller had an even bigger problem: Lugo and Delgado were intent on finishing the job. Yes." Delgado wanted revenge and told Lugo that Schiller would be an easy mark. "Very handsome couple, they looked like they were made for each "It's a true rags-to-riches story," said Roberts. And that was their attempt to kill him. Seven years after opening Sun Gym, accountant John Mese was on the verge of ditching the enterprise. Then, Lugo demanded she give up the access code numbers to Frank Griga's house. It has to be highly suspicious "And they The disappearance of Frank and Krisztina would become one of Miami's most notorious crimes. We have the next door neighbor. "We had more than that. / CBS News, Produced by Chuck Stevenson, Jamie Stolz, Tamara Weitzman and Alicia Tejada. "Sorry. deadly plot that involved kidnapping, money and murder. Penthouse magazine, but filled the rest of her time as an exotic dancer. strange because in homicide we need a crime scene. hand, he was joking. [18], The morning after the disappearance of Griga and Furton, housekeeper Eszter Toth arrived at Griga's house. We'll shake him down'" said Ferrer. Finally, the daily torture was too much. "He was up helping the federal government make their case. "This case was all over the news," retired homicide detective Felix He told her he Ultimately, the rest of the gang went to prison, too. He hired Doorbal, a gym rat and steroids abuser, as a part-time employee and cut him in on a lucrative Medicare fraud scheme. "They give him alcohol to drink. With Schiller's fortune spent, the gang targeted their next victims: Frank Griga and his beautiful girlfriend, Krisztina Furton. gets free, leaves the country and doesn't call the police for four [4], In a 1994 meeting, Daniel Lugo asked Noel Doorbal and Stevenson Pierre whether they were interested in making $100,000 for two days' work. "We got information and -- as soon as we got it, we ended up going to Golden Beach," he said. "' he owes me money' and 'I need you to Lugo and Doorbal's attorneys chose not to put on a case. So it's like the Keystone Cops gone bad.". he ended up half dead at Jackson Memorial, Miami's top trauma center. she believed what he was saying -- that he was a CIA operative -- that He's in critical condition,'" said Schiller. Search warrants were executed for the homes of Lugo and Doorbal and their associates. Another gang member would dump Frank Griga's yellow Lamborghini on the side of the road, in the swampy Florida Everglades. Schiller had an even bigger problem: Lugo and Delgado were intent on finishing the job. him?' My heart breaks when I one of the most notorious crimes in Miami history: a complicated and accident to kidnap Schiller. [6], That same afternoon, Schiller was waiting for a prospective buyer at a Schlotzsky's franchise delicatessen he owned. And my sister was there and my brother. I was kidnapped. By May of 1995, five months after his harrowing escape, the Sun Gym gang had burned through all of Marc Schiller's money. Bingo. We need a dead body But according to authorities, it wasn't until April 1995, four months after his escape, that Schiller contacted police. The View Details Bizapedia.com Fitness View More Gym Near You In Miami Lakes, FL | SWEAT440 seen in my life," Levine said, "but she was also one of the most naive She was only 23 years old. 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. road.". Join Facebook to connect with Jorge Delgado and others you may know. "Well, guilty, yeah, but -- I don't believe in the -- death penalty," he replied. "They basically go 'He's not goin' to the cops he's involved in Medicare fraud. matter of time. The crimes and the trial would captivate and horrify all of south Florida. would drag on for 10 weeks, overseen by Katherine Fernandez Rundle, the With 100 witnesses and thousands of pieces of evidence, the case "There was some damning evidence there bloody clothing belonging to Frank and Krisztina, there was the kidnap kit -- a case with duct tape guns, [stun guns], handcuffs -- there was so much evidence in that apartment," said Jimenez. the Keystone Cops gone bad.". "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. "So you have a missing Hungarian couple and a Lamborghini," Roberts noted. [29], Raimondo was indicted on one count each of Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering, First-degree Murder (Furton), Kidnapping (Furton) and attempted extortion. 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. Asked why she didn't she call police, Schiller told Roberts, "I don't know. I wanna grow, I wanna be somebody very big'" said Barrientos. He called his It was here he began an affair with a one-time Penthouse Zsuzsanna had seen her brother's love for the glittery side of the American dream. "And they get back to their place, and they go, 'You think we killed "They never went out, never read them their rights, they never asked immigrant, came to this country with $10 dollars in his pocket and made [4] Pierre had been hired by Lugo in February 1994 to create a collection agency for overdue gym membership payments. Sometimes, it was with fire. "Marc Schiller was asked to come and give testimony under oath four times and he stood up not only the prosecutor, but the police, to give that testimony four times," said prosecutor Gail Levine. Police quickly hit pay dirt in the apartment of Danny Lugo's girlfriend. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison but served only seven. [4] At another meeting a few days later, Delgado agreed to the plan to abduct Schiller and force him to sign over his assets, and potentially kill him. She chose not to call the police. His main partner in crime was another muscle head, Adrian Doorbal. He came from Budapest, Hungary, and found a minimum wage job in New York City. That's where he spent the next 30 days, was handcuffed to that pipe," former homicide Felix Jimenez explained. "Liquor, tequila, vodka and gave him sleeping pills. "It was one of those days in Miami where a storm was coming in," Schiller recalled. 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. "They waited in a van and they had their biggest gym rats come out," said Levine. In a highly unusual twist, Judge Alex Ferrer stood up for Schiller during the federal fraud investigation. [10] Doorbal convinced Lugo to form a plan to kidnap and extort the couple. "It was like a service station he was changing the oil, washing cars," Zsuzsanna Griga explained. Asked if he was money hungry, Barrientos told Roberts, "Yes.". Odessa, TX 79765. With the help of Jorge Delgado, Doorbal and Lugo stuffed the bodies of Frank Griga into a couch and Krisztina Furton into a large cardboard box. And now they're both dead -- Frank Griga and Krisztina Furton. Roberts asked. Schiller's testimony was in bringing down the Sun Gym gang. He's like 5 foot 7 tall and 5 foot 7 wide," Jimenez continued. of the country, Schiller was still suffering. They're few and far between when there's actually a was too much. To them it was just a fun game," he said. was very beautiful. She's tried more than 00 cases. The surprised Sun Gym gang moved in to finish off Marc Schiller. The Sun Gym gang left a massive, bloody trail of evidence. "But this case really got to me.". "So after a while, you and Marc decided to go to the police?" The body of Furton was later identified through her breast implants' serial number, which was matched to the records held by her plastic surgeon. Gym Gang," Jimenez told Roberts as they stood outside the building. "And Doorbal's face lights up and says, 'Who has the yellow Lambo?' "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. 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. The credibility issues due to his alleged involvement in Medicare fraud. Detectives learned Lugo was the leader of a group made up of drifters "While they were beating you?" "She was a very, very attractive woman," Jimenez said. [4] When, at 4 pm, the buyer still had not turned up, Schiller left and was grabbed by three men while walking across the parking lot, who stunned him with tasers and then punched him and forced him into a van. "Doorbal was just an evil, he reminded me of just an evil guy," said Garafalo. Delgado wanted revenge and told Lugo that Schiller Beatriz Weiland and Attila Weiland were contacted by police, who began speaking to them. He needed a personal trainer to help him buff up. Their case was the bizarre kidnapping of another Miami millionaire. "They would hide in his yard under blankets like they were some kind of ninja waiting for him to come out and get the paper at five in the morning and they were gonna kidnap him only to be surprised that cars were coming down the street and lighting them up with their headlights "So then they're running through yards, screaming 'abort, abort like they're on some secret mission for the government," he continued. on fire. Roberts asked Levine. "So we got a call that there was a missing -- a wealthy couple that was missing out of Golden Beach," he explained. In the end, Raimondo was given an 8-year sentence but only completed half of it. "I signed. "He'd do anything and everything that Danny You can't claim anything," said Ferrer. served time for running a phony loan scam operation. "And they disposed of the torsos in one part of the county in oil drums," said Ferrer. "His jail sentence is what he did, but the pain and suffering that he "First, I can't walk and second of all, who knows how many of these people are out there," he said. " when you have a case that's that grotesque and you know people months before the murders of Frank and Krisztina, Schiller himself had out over a deal. The torture and the beatings and the -- the attempts to kill him and all of that. "There's a lot of things about this case that boggle the mind," said Jimenez. Schiller can't forget the sick soundtrack that came with his daily beatings. "We have the housekeeper who was also at the home when the -- the musclemen were there. They're looking at the dent of the car, and they say, 'I don't know it's not a big dent, yeah but we ran him over, and we backed over him, I mean he must be dead,'" Ferrer continued. "And the message that he -- he had out there was you can do whatever you want. "Very handsome couple, they looked like they were made for each other," Jimenez explained. own apartments, wearing his jewelry, driving his Dodge Viper, and his "First, I can't walk and second of all, who knows how many of these people are out there," he said. "We were parked right there," the man said, standing with Roberts in everything you have we're gonna bring your wife down here and rape "Sabina Petrescu's probably one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen in my life," Levine said, "but she was also one of the most naive women I have ever met in my life. Krisztina Furton would probably be alive today," said Ferrer. "Danny was a big muscular guy," said Jimenez. " in the Everglades, on the Alligator Alley that goes from Ft. Lauderdale to Naples," said Ferrer. "How did this all go down?" " 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. "The plan was actually very simple: kidnap Marc Schiller, have him write his own ransom and then kill him," she replied.
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