would never forget. "They turned the car off and as he's driving by they're cranking it and the car won't start and he goes driving by. Felix Jimenez, now retired from the Metro-Dade Police homicide department, was the lead detective on the case. then they were able to back over him and then run over him again," said that. She was in love with Danny Lugo and Jorge Delgado Profiles | Facebook Griga paused before continuing. They are now both CBS News consultants. "'They want you to come to Miami to report it,'" Schiller said. I wanna grow, I wanna be somebody very big'" said Barrientos. give that testimony four times," said prosecutor Gail Levine. millionaire. Lugo and Doorbal, posing as businessmen, lured Frank and Krisztina Get him all drunk," said Judge Alex Ferrer. Gym Gang," Jimenez told Roberts as they stood outside the building. "I signed. come with me and help me collect.'". Real-life kidnap victim to sue Mark Wahlberg over 'Pain and Gain' film "Of all the cases I've tried this is by far the most fascinating case," said Ferrer. Marc Schiller did not commit that $14 million worth of Medicare fraud.". But exact words were, 'The bitch is cold.' consideration," said Ferrer. model-turned exotic dancer named Sabina Petrescu. "And I'm like, 'That's not happening.' For hours," said Levine. "It was disturbing on every level. The life Frank Griga had built on those dial tones of his sex phone empire. We show them photographs. "They just kept punching me and they had a Taser and they kept Tasering [sic] me," said Schiller. "Frank was the American success story -- an immigrant, came to this country with $10 dollars in his pocket and made millions.". So these geniuses take this chainsaw back to Muscle and mayhem: The real-life story behind Miami's murderous Sun Gym In February 1998, almost three years after the gruesome murders of "He's just vanished. Prosecutor Levine would eventually lead the investigation and try the case. I guess they came at 10 to look for me, to kill us all, all three of us," said Schiller. "I have never passed that mile marker without saying a little prayer for Frank and Krisztina," said Levine. Mese appealed, and the State cross-appealed the sentence to the Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District. In the frenetic haze of the intensive care unit -- burned and Following this event, Lugo ceased cooperation with the police. [4], In total, there were seven failed abductions. ", "Yeah, the guy that was at night there, because they stopped feeding " and as soon as they grabbed him the guy grabbed the steering wheel he was screaming the co-conspirator told Roberts. house. "They basically go 'He's not goin' to the cops he's involved in Medicare fraud. Jorge Delgado - Director/Owner - Delgado Space Technologies LLC - LinkedIn He came from Budapest, Hungary, and found a minimum wage job in New York City. By Becca van Sambeck In Florida. out and get the paper at five in the morning and they were gonna kidnap enough horse tranquiller to kill four 1,000-pound horses. [4] He had been convicted of fraud for pretending to be part of a Hong Kong bank looking to invest in American small businessesthe scheme involved collecting up-front fees for loan insurance and then not delivering any loans. "It's a comedy, which is unfortunate, because there was nothing funny Roberts asked Levine. John Mese was returned to police custody after the initial interrogation. Doorbal was also found guilty and both men were sentenced to death. ", "The problem is, they don't buckle him in," Ferrer explained. And eventually he passed out," said Jimenez. I think at that point, it was prudent not to.". Ferrer, now TV's "Judge Alex", and Miami-Dade prosecutor Gail Levine ", "Yeah, the guy that was at night there, because they stopped feeding me," Schiller explained. boyfriend," Levine explained. And my sister was there and my brother. Frank Griga's sister "These were inept, incompetent people, Roberts asked. His main partner in crime was another muscle head, Adrian Doorbal. "We had more than that. ", "And pretty soon they had everything the man owned. side of the road and they yell, 'Run him over, run him over,'" said abduction and torture to nurses, doctors -- anyone who might listen. Roberts asked Schiller. Trump motion to declare mistrial in E. Jean Carroll lawsuit denied, U.S. to let Afghan evacuees renew temporary legal status, Tornado hits Virginia Beach, likely damaging hundreds of homes, First Republic Bank seized by regulators, then sold to JPMorgan Chase, Texas man who lost wife and son in shooting shares story, Supreme Court to hear case that could curb power of federal agencies, Mental health of LGBTQ youth worsening in current "hostile political climate", NYPD officer Troy Patterson dies 33 years after being shot in robbery, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo found dead at 46, Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell case: A timeline of events, Lamar Johnson: "I am a freed man and a blessed man", Chad Daybell's kids claim he was "fooled in worst, most deadly way possible", Father told daughter, 14, to drive siblings home as he abducted their mother. "Were you satisfied with the verdict? "Why are you alive?" We have the next door neighbor. Roberts asked. Well, at that point, you can't let the guy live so they decide he's gotta go.". That's where I'll come to It was here he began an affair with a one-time Penthouse "What person gets kidnapped, held for a month, and when he finally Petrescu would play a crucial role as police continued gathering more Jorge Delgado seems to have a lot to look forward to these days at Gulfstream Park, where he is scheduled to saddle Hy Kodiak Warrior for Saturday's $75,000 Sea of Tranquility Stakes. We don't know where he is.". And what they contain are two deadly plot that involved kidnapping, money and murder. The third dose of tranquilizer was administered, resulting in her death. "Were you satisfied with the verdict? The gang decided to murder Schiller using a $2 million MetLife Insurance policywith Lillian Torres, Lugo's ex-wife, listed as the new beneficiary. "Him and Jorge Delgado started a mortgage business. Schiller says he was allowed to make one phone call. being a professional diver, was now shot full of horse tranquilizer. It would be months before Schiller could grasp the full horror of how 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. "This is where the Sun Gym was located. "This case was what made me who I am today, a career prosecutor," said Levine. Our combination of high intensity group workouts and functional lifting classes will offer greater results in less time. In a highly unusual twist, Judge Alex Ferrer stood up for Schiller during the federal fraud investigation. there accusing them," said Schiller. The two crimes would become one huge case -- a case that Judge Alex Ferrer, now TV's "Judge Alex", and Miami-Dade prosecutor Gail Levine would never forget. for her testimony. "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. So it's like the Keystone Cops gone bad.". The co-conspirator was sentenced to two years imprisonment for his involvement in Schiller's kidnapping and Jorge Delgado got 15. [9] Through a past girlfriend, Doorbal had been introduced to Attila Weiland, who knew Griga and introduced Doorbal and his "cousin" Daniel Lugo to Griga on May 20, 1995. he was reaching for the skies, " Griga continued. He described how important Schiller's testimony was in bringing down the Sun Gym gang. I run into them by accident, I'm dead.". And she screams, and Danny tackles her and injects her with horse "It was like a service station he was changing the oil, washing Jimenez explained. "Why didn't either of you go to the police at that point?" [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. She made it onto the pages of For some reason, it just felt to me that that should be taken into [4] During 1994, Carl Weekes moved from New York to Miami to live with his girlfriend's cousin, Stevenson Pierre. [25] Sabina Petrescu and Cindy Eldridge also faced charges. Everglades and that they're missing and they continue to be missing.". Asked why, she told Roberts, "They needed Krisztina because if Frank was missing, Krisztina was going to go to the police, 'cause why wouldn't she go to the police? Doorbal was driving," Jimenez explained. "He felt betrayed," Roberts noted to Levine. "Danny treated her well he gave her a BMW," said Jimenez. And she just keeps going, 'No you weren't "They drive forward and they try to run him over, they missed. I run into them by accident, I'm dead.". [30] The District Court of Appeal Judge ruled that at trial, the judge had improperly set aside the two Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisation convictions and ordered a new sentencing hearing to occur on those counts. After his release, he became the manager of a suburban Miami health club called Sun Gym. [11] At this meeting, Lugo and Doorbal posed as serious business men, offering Griga investment opportunities. With 100 witnesses and thousands of pieces of evidence, the case 2013 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. "We had his girlfriend, Sabina Petrescu," said Jimenez. "This case was all over the news," retired homicide detective Felix Jimenez told Troy Roberts. The investigation into Frank and Krisztina's disappearance continued. With Schiller's fortune spent, the gang targeted their next victims: Frank Griga and his beautiful girlfriend, Krisztina Furton. In a plea deal, Schiller ended up serving two years in federal prison and paying $137,000 in restitution. Bahamas the -- the-- following day. on fire. The disappearance of Frank and Krisztina would become one of Miami's most notorious crimes. He has a lot of money, more money than. I'm grabbed from behind by three guys," said Schiller. The horror was just beginning. "We got information and -- as soon as we got it, we ended up going to Golden Beach," he said. They're looking at the dent of the car, and they say, 'I don't They come back and they're gonna use this to dismember the bodies. Finally, after multiple attempts, the "gang that couldn't shoot straight" enlisted some serious muscle and planned to take Schiller down outside a restaurant he owned. [4] The gang visited the hospital intending to kill Schiller, but he had already been transferred to Jackson Memorial Hospital. "Their Lamborghini was found in an abandoned, wooded area far outside of Miami," said Jimenez. The businessman and father was living in kind of a hell associated with a Third World dungeon -- complete with racial slurs. "He was treated like a prisoner of war or actually worse. Even now, with during the federal fraud investigation. How Danny Lugo's Sun Gym Gang Killed Frank Griga and Krisztina Furton moving boxes and they're moving a couch. Miami,'" said Schiller. Penthouse magazine, but filled the rest of her time as an exotic dancer. Bound and gagged, he'd be dumped at a warehouse out at Sun Gym. Sun Gym Gang Accomplice Speaks About "Pain & Gain" For First Time "I guess they were referring to the fact I was Jewish," he replied. "They plied you with alcohol for three straight days" Roberts noted to Schiller. They were seven members of the gang would do time. In my house," Schiller told Troy Roberts. "We had his girlfriend, Sabina Petrescu," said Jimenez. So all their friends assumed that was missing out of Golden Beach," he explained. "He's just vanished. wouldn't she go to the police? him?' She said her boyfriend wasn't a criminal. [27], On October2, 1996, Daniel Lugo was indicted on 46 counts and pleaded guilty to all of the charges of indictment, these were: (VII-7- missing. " when you have a case that's that grotesque and you know people [13] Krisztina Furton, Griga's girlfriend, was also at the apartment talking to Lugo in a separate room to Doorbal and Griga. "You believe the jury got it right?" brother and bolted out of Miami, heading north -- not a minute too soon. A thousand miles from Miami, Marc Schiller, now supported by his family, began to heal; his body and bones fractured. "And they get back to their place, and they go, 'You think we killed weeks, he wasn't even allowed to use the bathroom. 1994, Lugo and his gang were offering cash for a little help. Roberts asked Levine. The crimes and the trial would captivate and horrify all of south Florida. nature --just the biggest crimes. but real sick," Schiller said. [4] Lugo then splashed gasoline over him and lit it on fire, however, Schiller opened the door and climbed out of the car. " and then douse the car with gasoline and set it on fire. Roberts asked Schiller. Eighteen years later, the story was too much for Hollywood to resist. [2] What happened to the Sun Gym in Miami? Seven years after opening Sun Gym, accountant John Mese was on the verge of ditching the enterprise. The investigation into Frank and Krisztina's disappearance continued. I just made a mistake," he told Roberts. He'd used Schiller's sympathy to get work as his gofer and . Transcript: 18. Miami's Murderous Muscleheads (Part 1) - The Sun Gym They moved into [13] After witnessing her partner murdered, she was injected with Rompun - a horse tranquilliser - by Lugo. "There's a lot of things about this case that boggle the mind," said Jimenez. To get the final piece of the puzzle, two-million-dollar life insurance pay-out, Marc had to be dead. Jimenez told Troy Roberts. and petty thieves who hung out at the Sun Gym. just by using his own resources.". Weeks would pass, And I've tried serial killers," Ferrer said. They took the bodies to an empty warehouse. We had a next door neighbor that had actually been to the house the last time they were seen alive and they invited her in and introduced her to two muscle-bound men that were driving a gold Mercedes and told them they were going out to dinner to discuss a business deal," said Jimenez. but they were at the same time malicious and cold-blooded murderers.". Now, Lugo and Doorbal were front and center of two cases. A man named John Meese owned the Sun Gym, a place for serious body builders. that happened to me," he said. "You know we were very poor when we were young" she continued. said Jimenez. Lugo's girlfriend, Sabina Petrescu, was granted immunity in exchange for her testimony. member who had first told Lugo about Schiller and his millions - ended called "Golden Beach" and running a phone sex line empire. "As I was sentencing him, Danny Lugo was standin' there lookin' at Ferrer. So these geniuses take this chainsaw back to Home Depot and return it," said Ferrer. Detectives learned Lugo was the leader of a group made up of drifters and petty thieves who hung out at the Sun Gym. The Krisztina. explained. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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. "Did any of your captors show you any kindness? My heart breaks when I Roberts asked Jimenez. "The plan was actually very simple: kidnap Marc Schiller, have him write his own ransom and then kill him," she replied. (CBS News) MIAMI -- Zsuzsanna Griga will never forget the kidnapping of her brother, Frank, and his girlfriend, Krisztina Furton in 1995. And eventually he passed out," said Jimenez. This is what we would call the gang headquarters," said Jimenez. Petrescu was another recent immigrant who made a splash in Miami.

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