Sailboat Sinks Rescued Family Disappears

[Garrettw]

So I was talking to my slip neighbors today and it turns out that they sold this family the boat in question!! Family paid cash and immediately took possession. They said that they have been fielding calls from the FBI. The agent on the calls indicated that the FBI now knows who these people are and that they have been indicted for some unrelated crime although they didn't say what. So that leads me to wonder if the sailboat was their way of trying to escape from the law?


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[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by Garrettw

So I was talking to my slip neighbors today and it turns out that they sold this family the boat in question!! Family paid cash and immediately took possession. They said that they have been fielding calls from the FBI. The agent on the calls indicated that the FBI now knows who these people are and that they have been indicted for some unrelated crime although they didn't say what. So that leads me to wonder if the sailboat was their way of trying to escape from the law?


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Sounds like a movie script in the making.

[ontherocks83]

Originally Posted by Garrettw

So I was talking to my slip neighbors today and it turns out that they sold this family the boat in question!! Family paid cash and immediately took possession. They said that they have been fielding calls from the FBI. The agent on the calls indicated that the FBI now knows who these people are and that they have been indicted for some unrelated crime although they didn't say what. So that leads me to wonder if the sailboat was their way of trying to escape from the law?


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Large family,lots of cash, and running from the law. I smell mafia connections

[Cormorant]

Here's some more to the story:

Couple, 7 children sought after sailboat ran ashore in San Leon | abc13.com


Donald Brian Winberg, 43, and Karlien Richel Winberg, 33 (Galveston County Sheriff's Office)


GALVESTON, TX (KTRK) -- The FBI and Galveston County Sheriff's Office are looking for an Amarillo man and woman, as well as their 7 children after their sailboat reportedly ran aground near San Leon earlier this year.


According to Galveston County officials, Donald Brian Winberg, 43, and Karlien Richel Winberg, 33, were identified after the FBI in Denver, Colorado, saw the report about the boat coming ashore on October 29. They contacted local officials, saying the Winbergs may be a couple being sought for wire fraud.

The Winbergs have reportedly been on the run since April.

Officials believe the Winbergs are trying to flee the country, possibly to Mexico. The FBI and Galveston County officials are also concerned about the welfare of the 7 children.

They were last seen travelling in a 2004 dark grey Nissan SUV with Texas license plate CVP-3691.

Anyone with any information on the location of the Winbergs are asked to contact any local office of the FBI or the Galveston County Sheriff's Office at 409-770-6084.

[Cormorant]

Here's another article with a bit more color:

Police: Family rescued from sinking boat are wanted fugitives

Including my favorite bit:
"According to the indictment out of Colorado, the couple claimed to be running a million dollar hay business in Texas and Idaho but instead were cheating buyers. Investigators say the Winbergs even took buyers out to hayfields and drove them around claiming they owned the land."

Perfect business for building the cruising kitty!

[s/v Beth]

It's too bad they didn't know how to sail. Anybody reading a chart could have avoided what they did.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

It's too bad they didn't know how to sail. Anybody reading a chart could have avoided what they did.

Sort of profiling here, but these type of people lie, cheat and steal their way through life, learning how to actually do something is work and best left to the fools.
If they had been better at what they did, they would be successful business people.

[Island Time O25]

With 7 children they must have made some use of all that hay.

[Pelagic]

Assuming it is their children and not another scam

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

With 7 children they must have made some use of all that hay.

I'm guessing he's a heavy drinker. That's the only explanation I can come up with.

[Andrew B.]

"delete delete delete" the new forget it forever whiskey...

Originally Posted by socaldmax

I'm guessing he's a heavy drinker. That's the only explanation I can come up with.

[tropicalescape]

"Hay" these are all lies, all lies! I didn't do any of the things they are trying to pin on my wife and myself,lies ,I will be vindicated..

[Sam Plan B]

There was another WHOU story about them. They were about to go to trial for wire fraud but skipped town. It seems they bought (or stole) the boat intending to leave the country. This is a problem if you don't know how to sail. Other than the Houston Ship Chanel, Galveston Bay is very shallow 4 feet of water being deep. It seems they got out of the chanel in a gail and the boat simply rolled on the spoil bank. The family is still on the lam.

[Waterway Guide]

Originally Posted by Garrettw

So I was talking to my slip neighbors today and it turns out that they sold this family the boat in question!! Family paid cash and immediately took possession. They said that they have been fielding calls from the FBI. The agent on the calls indicated that the FBI now knows who these people are and that they have been indicted for some unrelated crime although they didn't say what. So that leads me to wonder if the sailboat was their way of trying to escape from the law?


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Do you know what size sailboat it was? Seems a bit tight for 9 people!

[Garrettw]

Originally Posted by Waterway Guide

Do you know what size sailboat it was? Seems a bit tight for 9 people!

I'll ask next time I'm at the dock but they kept it on the 35' fingers in our Marina, I believe, so I don't think it was particularly big. My wife and I were just remarking on the exact same thing today.


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