From Utah to the High Seas: Fraud Suspect Charged

From Utah to the High Seas: Fraud Suspect Charged


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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A Utah man captured by Cuban authorities is at the center of a fraud case that involves his jilted fiancee and thousands of dollars missing from the sale of her condominium.

John Egan, 42, was indicted by a grand jury in Salt Lake City on charges of bank fraud, computer fraud and identity theft, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.

The Bountiful man is accused of stealing $109,000 from his fiancee through online transactions at America First Credit Union. The money in her account came from the sale of her condominium in North Salt Lake.

The fiancee, identified in court documents as L.C., has not seen or heard from Egan since June 2006 when she and her daughter flew to Tampa, Fla., to start a new life with him, according to the indictment.

He wasn't there.

In July, 13 months later, federal authorities learned that Egan was in custody in Cuba.

He had been stopped by Cuban authorities when he had trouble with his 35-foot-long sailboat while on a journey to Ireland from Mexico, according to the FBI.

Egan was held in Cuba until late September when he was transferred to Miami, where he remains in custody awaiting a final transfer to Utah, said Juan Becerra, an FBI spokesman in Salt Lake City.

Egan does not have a defense attorney assigned to his case.

His parents could also be victims. They said their passports and Social Security cards were missing in June from an unlocked safe, according to the FBI.

"The Cuban authorities determined that Egan was traveling on a false passport, possibly one with his true name and picture but an incorrect number," the FBI said in a court filing.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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