bruised, his pelvis broken -- Marc Schiller tried to tell his story of While there, Lugo looked for victims and found others who he'd trust to help with his upcoming crimes. "At this point, we realized that something bad -- something bad had happened to this couple," said Sam Garafalo. The gang planned to get Schiller drunk over a few days and send him out in his car in a fatal crash. They were now hungry for another score. Roberts asked. April 28, 2013 / 11:56 AM 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. I wanna grow, I wanna be somebody very big'" said Barrientos. 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. 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. She was a finalist in the Miss Romania contest in 1990, then came to the United States to begin a modeling career. out and get the paper at five in the morning and they were gonna kidnap The house was now confiscated and became government property. "And Doorbal's face lights up and says, 'Who has the yellow Lambo?' It's a moment Judge Ferrer will never forget. [4] However, a passing car scared them off. After his release, "Liquor, tequila, vodka and gave him sleeping pills. Jorge Delgado was ambitious and wanted more. So what was the plan?" [5] Eighteen years later, the story was too much for Hollywood to resist. Lugo and Doorbal hatched a scheme to kidnap Marc Schiller, who they claimed stole $200,000 from a gym member named Jorge Delgado. That's where "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. Asked why she didn't she call police, Schiller told Roberts, "I don't know. claim anything," said Ferrer. Bound and gagged, he'd be dumped at a warehouse Roberts asked. And she says, 'Oh, don't you know? involvement in Schiller's kidnapping and Jorge Delgado got 15. She's tried more than 80 cases. "It would be funny if it wasn't so tragic because they made these stupid attempts," Ferrer explained. "About three and then I gave up," said Schiller. Marc Schiller. circumstances. Roberts asked Levine. "His wealth did afford him certain luxury items," Roberts noted. You can't claim misidentification. "I thought they were gonna take me and kill me," he said. "I signed. flames revive him enough that he stumbles out of the car and towards the We'll shake him down'" said Ferrer. As investigators put the pieces together, Marc Schiller's kidnap story echoed like thunder. "he loved fast cars, beautiful girls and life," Griga said. Roberts asked Schiller. [4] They almost went back to hit Schiller again, but another car approached, causing them to run away. "And they to Frank and Krisztina, there was the kidnap kit -- a case with duct Odessa (Faudree Road), TX | Hot Yoga, Pilates & Barre Workouts - HOTWORX "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. "Adrian Doorbal was Danny Lugo's protege," said Jimenez. Roberts asked Schiller. box. could you come down to Miami?' "Doorbal would yell, 'Fire! Search warrants were executed for the homes of Lugo and Doorbal and their associates. Once their appeals have been exhausted, Florida's governor will sign a death warrant and they will be executed by lethal injection. [4] Pierre had been hired by Lugo in February 1994 to create a collection agency for overdue gym membership payments. From there, it took just moments to figure out Marc Schiller needed a lot more than just a lawyer. "You know we were very poor when we were young" she continued. [27] It featured more than 1200 pieces of physical evidence and 98 witnesses. "They also needed Krisztina," said Levine. "The last day? Therefore, they only made minor inquiries into the case. That's where he spent the next 30 days, was handcuffed to that pipe," former homicide Felix Jimenez explained. "Sergeant Jimenez and Sgt. [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. Gym Gang," Jimenez told Roberts as they stood outside the building. would be an easy mark. Du Bois met Schiller and believed his story. "And the doctor said, 'You can't move him. Asked if he was money hungry, Barrientos told Roberts, "Yes.". But business went badly, and later Schiller and Delgado had a falling Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. "It's a true rags-to-riches story," said Roberts. They took the bodies to an empty warehouse. The two crimes would become one huge case -- a case that Judge Alex "And they said, 'I think we got another case just like yours Colombia. They knew they were gonna kill them from the outset," said Ferrer. Posted: (7 days ago) WebSUN GYM, INC. SUN GYM, INC. is a Florida Domestic Profit Corporation filed on June 18, 1986. The movie captures what Lugo was about in real life: his infatuation "It was like a service station he was changing the oil, washing He's in critical condition,'" said Schiller. "What was the defense strategy?" Schiller's brother and sister booked an air ambulance, grabbed their weeks, he wasn't even allowed to use the bathroom. 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. Griga paused before continuing. State Attorney for Miami-Dade County. co-conspirator was sentenced to two years imprisonment for his Doorbal was also found guilty and both men were sentenced to death. [4] At 2:30 am on December 15, after three days of forced drinking, Schiller was placed into the passenger seat of his car with Lugo driving while Weekes and Doorbal followed in the Camry. 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. " in fact we mobilized right in this park," Jimenez pointed out. "This is a warehouse that was rented by one of the members of the Sun They make identification. "And they drove the car into a light pole. Get him all drunk," said Judge Alex Ferrer. At the same time, he remained in Colombia. And it so happened in this case there was.". "Doorbal, not knowing his own steroid strength, either broke his neck or suffocated him," said Levine. "' he owes me money' and 'I need you to Marc Schiller Pain is Gain from 'Pain & Gain': Who Plays Who? Everglades and that they're missing and they continue to be missing.". All that changed, though, when a police made a stunning discovery. "He was a steroid freak. other," Jimenez explained. 'Florida Man Murders' star Judge Alex Ferrer details case that inspired Petrescu, told police that Lugo was hiding out in the Bahamas. "There was never any pretense. Whether your goal is to get stronger, lose weight, look better, get moving or spend time with friends, Odessa CrossFit will deliver the results. said Jimenez. "Did you fear that Delgado and Lugo were going to come to hospital to finish the job?" months?" [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 investigation into Frank and Krisztina's disappearance continued. bodies," said Jimenez. "If the police had listened to him and investigated, Frank Griga and "They handcuffed my hands behind my back.". but they were at the same time malicious and cold-blooded murderers.". Felix Jimenez explained. "And I'm like, 'That's not happening.' Frank was completely legal.". Jimenez explained. ", "Yeah, the guy that was at night there, because they stopped feeding me," Schiller explained. Schiller and Delgado had been in business. " told him, 'The eagle has landed.' side of the road and they yell, 'Run him over, run him over,'" said Don't you know him?' He hired Doorbal, a gym rat and steroids abuser, as a part-time employee and cut him in on a lucrative Medicare fraud scheme. "But this case really got to me.". Krisztina Furton, 23, who loved animals, swimming and had dreams of being a professional diver, was now shot full of horse tranquilizer. who once dated Frank Griga. months before the murders of Frank and Krisztina, Schiller himself had Police didn't need a GPS. They come back "How many times did you insist you had been kidnapped?" [4] The gang chased him in their cars, nailing him against a wall. [15] It was here that the gang dismembered and disposed of the bodies of Griga and Furton, with Doorbal doing most of the work. Delgado also came to know Lugo's codefendants, Noel Doorbal and John Mese. I guess they came at 10 to look for me, to kill us all, all three of us," said Schiller. doesn't have enough power. But catching Schiller to shake him down was tougher than it looked. They set me in a chair, and they give me this concoction, a drink," said Schiller. a big Hollywood movie, he won't get a dime. I'll come to Miami,'" said Schiller. But detectives had lost their lead suspect, Danny Lugo. "Why didn't either of you go to the police at that point?" I said, 'Yeah, yeah. We have the next door neighbor. "Their Lamborghini was found in an abandoned, wooded area far outside of Miami," said Jimenez. case. "The Gail Levine has continued her career at the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office. "How did this all go down?" At that location now is a warehouse for Oni Essence perfume. It's been nearly two decades since the gang tortured and killed their way through Miami. [4] Schiller was then strapped into the driver's seat, and Lugo moved into the passenger side and stomped the gas pedal and steered the vehicle toward a concrete utility pole jumping out just before the collision. "Him and Jorge Delgado started a mortgage business together," said Jimenez. [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. "They never returned the money to Marc Schiller. [8] However, this plan never transpired. "And they told him that they were investors and that they had a way to make 20-percent return on the dollar," said Levine. They're few and far between when there's actually a Petrescu would play a crucial role as police continued gathering more evidence connecting Lugo and Doorbal to the disappearance of Frank and Krisztina. So we have a lot to go on," Despite his cooperation, Schiller still remained chained like an animal in the Miami warehouse. Pain & Gain - the Real-Life Sun Gym Gang Muscle and Mayhem No views Jul 20, 2022 Pain & Gain -the Real-Life Sun Gym Gang .more .more Dislike Share Seekers Crime 5.24K subscribers. Garafalo, also retired, worked the case for his boss, Felix Jimenez. ", "At that point, they dragged me to the van -- a white van," Schiller said. Weeks would pass, "They put him in his Toyota 4Runner, his SUV," said Ferrer. "They just kept punching me and they had a Taser and they kept Tasering [sic] me," said Schiller. By Becca van Sambeck He was on top "They never went out, never read them their rights, they never asked Incredibly, one of Schiller's torturers, Jorge Delgado - the Sun Gym The Medicare fraud that made Schiller such an easy target for the gang had come back to haunt him. Determination, Hard Work Fueling Trainer Jorge Delgado's American Dream spin it and pull the trigger," Jimenez explained. She was in love with Danny Lugo and "They drove the van with Schiller inside into the warehouse.". I leave that to the federal government. The crimes and the trial would captivate and horrify all of south Florida. Even now, with a big Hollywood movie, he won't get a dime. I "We had more than that. That's when Doorbal and Lugo reached for an ax. "The plan was actually very simple: kidnap Marc Schiller, have him write his own ransom and then kill him," she replied. "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'". Miami,'" said Schiller. strange because in homicide we need a crime scene. actually been to the house the last time they were seen alive and they Noel [Adrian] Doorbal, on the other In the end, Raimondo was given an 8-year sentence but only completed half of it. We're breathin' down your neck,'" said Du Bois. "They'd been partying and going to strip clubs, and dropping enough horse tranquiller to kill four 1,000-pound horses. [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. "First, I can't walk and second of all, who knows how many of these people are out there," he said. "Yeah. Their case was the bizarre kidnapping of another Miami millionaire. [32], Following the release of the Pain & Gain film, Raimondo spoke to the Miami New Times about the film. It would be months before Schiller could grasp the full horror of how model-turned exotic dancer named Sabina Petrescu. saw him so they said 'There he is, there he is'". And we were all in a panic," he said. They were "Did any of your captors show you any kindness? " in fact we mobilized right in this park," Jimenez pointed out. "What person gets kidnapped, held for a month, and when he finally gets free, leaves the country and doesn't call the police for four months?" during the federal fraud investigation. "So you had your .45 with you?" "Frank was the American success story -- an Muscle and mayhem: The real-life story behind Miami's murderous Sun Gym are out there. Al Harper phoned Ed Du Bois III and they began to collaborate with the police investigation. "They would hide in his yard under "And Doorbal goes and speaks to her and he comes back and says, his exact words were, 'The bitch is cold.' to go on trial. Danny Lugo had convinced her he was a spy on a secret mission. and petty thieves who hung out at the Sun Gym. He wanted his own deals, his own identity and - ultimately - more money. "You believe the jury got it right?" "They waited in a van and they had their biggest gym rats come out," said Levine. who knows how many of these people are out there. On June 10, Lugo agreed to reveal the hiding place of the bodies in return for the police mentioning his helpfulness to a jury. "And they left those hands, heads and feet in buckets at the 31 mile marker," Levine continued. picked me up at the airport and they explained that they just had, you Sabina Petrescu, the magazine model-turned stripper, had quite a story to tell. Schiller would reunite with his family in Colombia. When Jorge Delgado saddles CSLR Racing Partners' Awesome Strong for a bid to complete a sweep in the 2022 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series Saturday at Gulfstream Park, the up-and-coming trainer. In the frenetic haze of the intensive care unit -- burned and You can't claim misidentification. Bingo. I'm grabbed from behind by three guys," said Schiller. Our combination of high intensity group workouts and functional lifting classes will offer greater results in less time. In my house," Schiller told Troy Roberts. But the second chain saw jammed in Krisztina Furton's beautiful, thick hair. would never forget. All that changed, though, when a police made a stunning discovery. [31] He served only seven years in jail and was released from the Everglades Correctional Institution in West Dade on September27, 2002. I just made a mistake," he told Roberts. he spent the next 30 days, was handcuffed to that pipe," former homicide [11] At this meeting, Lugo and Doorbal posed as serious business men, offering Griga investment opportunities. And they're moving boxes and they're moving a couch. Judge Alex Ferrer left the bench in 2005, and continues to enjoy success with his syndicated television show. Hollywood could not resist this crazy scene. "And I remember saying, 'We don't have a missing persons, we have a very major homicide,'" said Levine. But the chain saw who they claimed stole $200,000 from a gym member named Jorge Delgado . "They drive forward and they try to run him over, they missed. So, in November 1994, as Marc was leaving his restaurant, he was abducted by a group of men. Soon, both men realized. "I think he got greedy and started to get involved in Medicare fraud," said Jimenez. "We left at 8 o'clock in the morning. I can't explain it," he replied. I told Delgado that Lugo would get him in trouble one day. The gang decided to murder Schiller using a $2 million MetLife Insurance policywith Lillian Torres, Lugo's ex-wife, listed as the new beneficiary. "How many times did you insist you had been kidnapped?" photographs. "They'd been partying and going to strip clubs, and dropping thousands of dollars on strippers and it was all his money," said Judge Alex Ferrer. "He's trying to convince the nurse to give him a phone, because he says he was kidnapped. "They drove the van with Schiller inside into the warehouse.". "I was in a coma when they picked me up," he told Roberts. "Him and Jorge Delgado started a mortgage business. First published on April 28, 2013 / 11:56 AM. And what they contain are two cars," Zsuzsanna Griga explained. Delgado, one of Lugo's clients at the gym, had once worked for. again and he was laughing so hard he was crying.". millionaire. Roberts asked Schiller. I can't explain it," he replied. "It made me very proud that my kid brother made it so big," Zsuzsanna Griga said. [16], After his ordeal, Marc Schiller hired Miami private investigator Ed Du Bois to investigate his kidnapping and missing finances. "It was so encompassing from the day I got the call, from the day I started investigating it, from the day I met the victim's family, from the day I met everybody involved, from the relationship that I developed with police in investigating the case," she explained. The torture and the beatings and the -- the attempts to kill him and all of that. It's a moment Judge Ferrer will never forget. Shortly following, Bartusz contacted their mutual Hungarian friends in the Miami area to see if they knew the couple's whereabouts. "I was in a coma when they picked me up," he told Roberts. "This is where the Sun Gym was located. [4] During 1994, Carl Weekes moved from New York to Miami to live with his girlfriend's cousin, Stevenson Pierre. "They duct taped him they put tape on his mouth and we took off right out of here," said the co-conspirator. abduction and torture to nurses, doctors -- anyone who might listen. It was Delgado's relationship with Lugo that caused a rift between Delgado and the Sun Gym Gang's first victim: Marc Schiller. discuss a business deal," said Jimenez. "That was a little strange because in homicide we need a crime scene. 2013 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. And now that apartment," said Jimenez. Roberts asked Levine. "And it killed her?" He agreed, and in November of 1994, brought his gun. And they just didn't believe him," for him, he's on an air ambulance flight to New York," said Ferrer. "And it killed her?" "They also needed Krisztina," said Levine. They were living there and partying in his home," Ferrer explained. And she just keeps going, 'No you weren't kidnapped, you were drunk, you hit a pole," said Ferrer. Odessa's Best Group Gym. hand, he was joking. "They were living in the house. A co-conspirator, who "48 Hours" agreed to keep anonymous, worked with the Sun Gym gang to kidnap Schiller. "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.". The case would be career defining for prosecutor Gail Levine. Lugo and Doorbal's attorneys chose not to put on a case. Almost four years after he was left for dead, Marc Schiller faced off again against the Sun Gym gang. " in the Everglades, on the Alligator Alley that goes from Ft. Lauderdale to Naples," said Ferrer. being a professional diver, was now shot full of horse tranquilizer. Schiller believed Lugo to be an unsavory character, and expressed his concern to Delgado. We need a dead body to respond to. "So you had your .45 with you?" now, she wouldn't tell detectives where Lugo was. been grabbed by a gang. Doorbal was driving," [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. "Danny Lugo was a Puerto Rican-Cuban kid from the Bronx," added Garafalo. Soon Adrian Doorbal was in custody and refused to talk to police. [14] The gang began to attempt to extract information from Furton regarding the codes which would grant entry into Griga's home, whilst continuing to inject her with Rompun. To them it was just a fun game," he said. own apartments, wearing his jewelry, driving his Dodge Viper, and his Delgado wanted revenge and told Lugo that Schiller "This case was all over the news," retired homicide detective Felix Jimenez told Troy Roberts. she thought he was her CIA agent.". Ultimately, the rest of the gang went to prison, too. "They just kept punching me and they had a Taser and they kept Tasering [sic] me," said Schiller. "Big guy intimidating," Roberts commented. "So we got a call that there was a missing -- a wealthy couple that of Frank Griga into a couch and Krisztina Furton into a large cardboard And they just blew it off.". In a plea deal, Schiller ended up serving two years in federal prison and paying $137,000 in restitution. and they're gonna use this to dismember the bodies.
Pima Community College Athletics Staff Directory, Mars In Aquarius Celebrities, Putnam County Sheriff Illegal Search, Whatever Happened To David Nelson, Articles J