Michael R. Casey, Bond Jumping, Florida 2014

Criminals on the loose rarely get away with their crimes for long, but in the case of Michael R. Casey, a fugitive lawyer from Florida, the man evaded authorities for over four years. Casey, 71, who was pending trial on federal charges related to an alleged $20 million investment fraud scheme, has finally been brought to justice after pleading guilty to knowingly failing to appear in court in 2014. United States District Judge Federico A. Moreno accepted the guilty plea in the bond jump matter and scheduled a sentencing hearing for November 15, 2018.

Casey was apprehended in Mexico and extradited back to the United States to face the charges. The investment fraud case is scheduled for trial before U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore on October 29, 2018. Casey had been arrested and released on bond in September 2012 in United States v. James C. Howard, III, et al, Case No. 12-20630-Cr-Lenard. As part of his bond conditions, Casey was restricted from traveling outside the Southern District of Florida, with the exception of visiting his mother in North Carolina with prior permission from the U.S. Probation Office.

However, Casey failed to appear at a status conference on April 29, 2014, after he had traveled over 2,000 miles from Florida to Texas. The court issued a bench warrant for his arrest, which was eventually executed after Casey was apprehended in Mexico.

Casey and his co-conspirators, Patricia S. Saa, Louis N. Gallo, III, and James C. Howard, III, allegedly defrauded individuals who invested in Commodities Online LLC (COL), obtaining over $20 million from over 700 investors. The fraud scheme involved selling COL ownership units, subscriptions to the COL website, and investments in purported transactions to buy and sell commodities.

The court record reveals that Casey and his co-conspirators made material misrepresentations and omissions about the leaders of COL, including representing that Howard, who had a prior federal criminal conviction, was no longer managing COL. In reality, Howard remained in charge of the company.

Howard, who had previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, was sentenced to 189 months in prison in December 2013. Gallo, who also pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, was sentenced to 168 months in prison in October 2014.

Casey’s guilty plea marks a significant milestone in the prosecution of the investment fraud scheme. The case serves as a reminder that fleeing bond is a serious offense that can result in severe consequences. As the investigation continues, it is clear that justice has been served, and Casey will face the consequences of his actions.

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