Sailboat Sinks Rescued Family Disappears

[Cormorant]

They've been caught!

Fugitives rescued from sail boat in Galveston Bay arrested in Bahamas - Houston Chronicle

Fugitives rescued from sail boat in Galveston Bay arrested in Bahamas

By Mike Tolson | February 5, 2015 | Updated: February 5, 2015 9:21pm

• 
  Karlien Winberg and her husband, Donald, are accused of defrauding farmers by promising to deliver hay that did not exist.

A mysterious couple who quickly disappeared after they and their seven children were rescued from a foundering sailboat in Galveston Bay last October have been arrested in the Bahamas.
Donald and Karlien Winberg and their children were found Wednesday or early Thursday on a different boat and carrying a "substantial" amount of cash, said the U.S. Attorney's office in Denver, where the couple were indicted for wire fraud last year.
An immediate return to the U.S. is expected without formal extradition, though no other details about that process or how or where they were captured was available.
The couple had been on the lam for almost five months, though Galveston authorities were unaware of their fugitive status at the time of the rescue. The Winbergs offered false names and a phony story about a long vacation trip. It was only weeks later, when no one came to retrieve the boat, that local officials discovered that the two were accused con artists whose ill-fated sailing venture was in fact a getaway attempt.
The Winbergs, 43 and 31 respectively, are charged with defrauding farmers from 2010 to 2012 by promising to deliver hay that did not exist. Their total take from the scam is not specified in the 15-count indictment, but one Colorado farmer wired two advance payments totaling more than $1 million after meeting the Winbergs in Idaho and Texas and being shown vast fields of hay. But the farms did not belong to them.
After an initial court appearance, the two were released on bond. Attorneys appeared at subsequent court settings, but the couple was a no-show for a required September hearing. They were living in West Texas at the time, but authorities had no good address for them.
The Winbergs apparently arrived in the Houston area the following month, buying a sailboat for cash and living in it until it half-disappeared beneath the waves. Their planned destination was not clear, though they had mentioned to acquaintances sailing to Mexico or the Caribbean.
One of the Winbergs' accusers says his son considered suicide after being scammed by the couple. Read more about that and the couple's alleged web of lies in this HoustonChronicle.com report.

[socaldmax]

It's kinda hard to fly under the radar with 7 kids. It's not much of a vacation when you take your 7 kids with you. Although it looks like they will get new orange jumpsuits and a long vacation from their kids pretty soon.

[Island Time O25]

It must've been tough for them living on the boat all this time without a fryer.

[MarkJ]

One farmer defrauded by $1,000,000!!! Thats a lot of money!

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Garrettw

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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If I was on the run with over $1M and seven kids I would have been shopping in the 50+ footer range myself.


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[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by GILow

If I was on the run with over $1M and seven kids I would have been shopping in the 50+ footer range myself.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

I was thinking more like 8 one way tickets to AK and 1 ticket for me to the Maldives.

[Tx J]

Originally Posted by Cormorant

They've been caught!

Fugitives rescued from sail boat in Galveston Bay arrested in Bahamas - Houston Chronicle

Fugitives rescued from sail boat in Galveston Bay arrested in Bahamas

By Mike Tolson | February 5, 2015 | Updated: February 5, 2015 9:21pm

...

A mysterious couple who quickly disappeared after they and their seven children were rescued from a foundering sailboat in Galveston Bay last October have been arrested in the Bahamas.
Donald and Karlien Winberg and their children were found Wednesday or early Thursday on a different boat and carrying a "substantial" amount of cash, said the U.S. Attorney's office in Denver, where the couple were indicted for wire fraud last year.
An immediate return to the U.S. is expected without formal extradition, though no other details about that process or how or where they were captured was available.
The couple had been on the lam for almost five months, though Galveston authorities were unaware of their fugitive status at the time of the rescue. The Winbergs offered false names and a phony story about a long vacation trip. It was only weeks later, when no one came to retrieve the boat, that local officials discovered that the two were accused con artists whose ill-fated sailing venture was in fact a getaway attempt.
The Winbergs, 43 and 31 respectively, are charged with defrauding farmers from 2010 to 2012 by promising to deliver hay that did not exist. Their total take from the scam is not specified in the 15-count indictment, but one Colorado farmer wired two advance payments totaling more than $1 million after meeting the Winbergs in Idaho and Texas and being shown vast fields of hay. But the farms did not belong to them.
After an initial court appearance, the two were released on bond. Attorneys appeared at subsequent court settings, but the couple was a no-show for a required September hearing. They were living in West Texas at the time, but authorities had no good address for them.
The Winbergs apparently arrived in the Houston area the following month, buying a sailboat for cash and living in it until it half-disappeared beneath the waves. Their planned destination was not clear, though they had mentioned to acquaintances sailing to Mexico or the Caribbean.
One of the Winbergs' accusers says his son considered suicide after being scammed by the couple. Read more about that and the couple's alleged web of lies in this HoustonChronicle.com report.

Shades of Billie Sol Estes, with seven kids and no class...but damned good con artists.

When they foundered in the Houston Ship Channel with the 'new' boat, you kind of assumed they weren't skilled sailors. But to survive some amount of time on another boat, maybe even voyaging to the Bahamas, they must have picked it up.

They'll do some major time. Meanwhile, all those Wall Street tycoons who torpedoed the whole world and got away with mega-billions of ill-gotten scratch haven't even been indicted (apart from a few small actions w/wrist-slaps). Gotta have the right connections...

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by Tx J

Shades of Billie Sol Estes, with seven kids and no class...but damned good con artists.

When they foundered in the Houston Ship Channel with the 'new' boat, you kind of assumed they weren't skilled sailors. But to survive some amount of time on another boat, maybe even voyaging to the Bahamas, they must have picked it up.

They'll do some major time. Meanwhile, all those Wall Street tycoons who torpedoed the whole world and got away with mega-billions of ill-gotten scratch haven't even been indicted (apart from a few small actions w/wrist-slaps). Gotta have the right connections...

Obviously you and I see things exactly the same on this topic!

[Roseboat]

They were scammers who were selling corn and hay without having product. Bought a new boat and we're just arrested in the Bahamas, turned in by American's who recognized their photos from the news.


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[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by Roseboat

They were scammers who were selling corn and hay without having product. Bought a new boat and we're just arrested in the Bahamas, turned in by American's who recognized their photos from the news.


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They sure were stupid. Had they been selling securitized derivatives of junk bonds instead they would have been bailed out by the Fed and would be playing golf in Hawaii by now.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

They sure were stupid. Had they been selling securitized derivatives of junk bonds instead they would have been bailed out by the Fed and would be playing golf in Hawaii by now.

Yep, ya gotta know the right product not to have

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Roseboat.

[captain58sailin]

Sure, dump the miscreants in Alaska. What did we ever do to deserve that? We already have enough shady characters and con artists in politics here.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by Island Time O25

They sure were stupid. Had they been selling securitized derivatives of junk bonds instead they would have been bailed out by the Fed and would be playing golf in Hawaii by now.

Good lesson for future scammers learning from this couple. This is what happens to you when you scam people out of a lot of money, and don't use any of it for campaign contributions later.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by Group9

Good lesson for future scammers learning from this couple. This is what happens to you when you scam people out of a lot of money, and don't use any of it for campaign contributions later.

HA HA!