ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
ALVA Woodpeckers build home in Alva woman’s house You may have heard of squatters, but this woman is dealing with squawkers. Who needs a rooster to wake up when you have woodpeckers?
FORT MYERS Man claims he was trapped in a high-rise for 5 days A 77-year-old man wants justice after he claims he spent days trapped on the 24th floor of a high-rise apartment building.
PUNTA GORDA Charlotte Correctional prisoner arrested for death of another inmate State Attorney Amira Fox convened a grand jury, which decided to move forward with a case against a Charlotte Correctional inmate.
SANIBEL Construction near Dairy Queen eagle nest on Sanibel raises concerns While many eagle nests may be a bit difficult to see, one nest has always been a favorite for Sanibel residents and tourists.
The environmental effects of artificial sweeteners Experts are studying how the foods we eat affect the environment, especially after we flush our waste down the toilet.
Victim reacts to man exposing himself to her Ring camera You get a notification on your phone from your ring camera app that someone is at the door, only to find out it is someone exposing themselves. It’s the last thing victim Maria Kivi wanted or expected to see last week.
LEE COUNTY The art of capturing your eye and drawing you in How do you capture young, hip, trendy, fun, movers and shakers, all in a pose? We take you behind the scenes of a Gulfshore Life cover shoot.
FORT MYERS The lives of two SJC Boxers changed in the ring Two SJC Boxers, Mario Nunez and Arbon Kurtishi, help each other in the ring as each of them had their lives changed because of boxing.
FORT MYERS Chlamydia cases rising sharply in Lee County If you think about a crowded space- something with more than 250 people- if it’s in Lee county, statistically one person has chlamydia.
SANIBEL Sanibel resort day passes hope to get more business on the island A pass will allow vacationers to hang out at a Sanibel beach club for a day in hopes of drumming up some business.
Voting equipment tested ahead of Lee County elections Voting equipment is being tested in Lee County. This is to ensure all ballots are printed and counted correctly for the upcoming election.
Collier County teen assaulted after leaving party The teen has been charged and the sheriff’s office said they’re aware that many believe felony charges are in order, but under Florida law, there are very specific criteria that must be met for felony charges to be filed.
WINK weather team watching tropical wave over Atlantic Ocean The Weather Authority is watching a tropical disturbance over the Central Atlantic Ocean.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral drug bust leads investigators to fake fentanyl, cash and guns Cape Coral man arrest on drug charges. Investigators said they found, guns, drugs, and more than $32,000 in Richard Riley’s home.
NAPLES Naples youth flag football team to compete in Ohio tournament This weekend, the Naples Lunatics Green will compete in the Superhero Sports tournament in Canton, Ohio.
The State Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit announces our investigation into an alleged multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme which has resulted in the arrest of two men, Joseph Bernard Charde, 72, of Lee County, and Allen Roy Duquet, 68, of Collier County. Charde has been charged with six felonies including RICO Conspiracy while Duquet is facing 38 additional felony charges including RICO and RICO Conspiracy. To date, the State Attorney’s Office investigation has identified 26 victims of the alleged frauds with a total dollar amount stolen in excess of $6 million. Duquet was originally arrested by the State Attorney’s Office in January, 2019 after an investigation into a complaint by a Charlotte County resident who invested money through Duquet. The defendant is accused of taking money for real estate investments and spending the escrow money instead of utilizing the money properly towards the intended purchase. A financial analysis was done during the investigation which revealed a more complex fraud scheme which involved Charde who acted as a broker to the transactions made by Duquet as an agent. The men owned a company called Oneir Sales and Rentals LLC on Marco Island. It was discovered that they ran an investment program called “The Commission Resource Program.” The State Attorney’s Office alleges that this program constituted a Ponzi scheme in which investors were led to believe that they would get big returns on their money; but instead, the money was used to pay back other investors, make up the shortfall of stolen escrow funds, or for personal use. Investors lost approximately $1.9 million dollars in that scheme. Duquet is also accused of misappropriating escrow funds from a victim who sold property to the Sunseeker Resort on Charlotte Harbor. The victim gave money to the defendant to purchase properties to build the resort. Duquet is accused of stealing money from other victims when it came time to close on the properties because he had already spent the money given to him. “The sophisticated investigation into this elaborate fraud scheme has taken months to fully develop through the diligent work of our Economic Crimes Unit. This case was complicated to unravel but the assigned attorneys and investigators followed the financial trail and were able to identify the more than two dozen victims. I commend them for the many hours of hard work and dedication it took to put this case together,” said State Attorney Amira D. Fox. Duquet is charged with: Racketeering Racketeering Conspiracy Aggravated White Collar Crime First Degree Grand Theft – 12 counts Second Degree Grand Theft – 17 counts Third Degree Grand Theft – 3 counts Criminal Use of Personal Identification Information – 2 counts Second Degree Money Laundering over $20,000 Charde is charged with: RICO Conspiracy First Grand Theft Second Degree Grand Theft – 4 counts