1 December – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Brian Wimpling, Special Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue Service, and Michael S. Clemens, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that defendant, Jack M. Makler, 64, of Boynton Beach, Florida, was arrested today on an indictment returned by a Ft. Lauderdale federal Grand Jury charging him with fraud, money laundering, and corruption relating to his official duties as a Delray Beach police detective. Also indicted was defendant Linda Marks, 57, of Delray Beach, Florida. Marks, a self-proclaimed Delray Beach-based psychic and fortune-teller, is accused of defrauding numerous victims of more than a million dollars from 1994 through 2002.
According to the 17-page Indictment, Marks preyed on elderly and otherwise vulnerable individuals suffering from fatal diseases. She claimed she was able to cure them by praying over their money. Makler was assigned to investigate many of those cases, but instead helped Marks with the fraud and money laundering activities. Makler is also accused of lying to federal investigators on three separate occasions when he was questioned about his relationship with Marks and the handling of her cases.
Makler and Marks both made their initial appearances today in Ft. Pierce before United States Magistrate Judge Linnea R. Johnson. A trial date has not yet been set. If convicted on all counts, Makler faces a maximum total imprisonment of 265 years and Marks faces 345 years.
Mr. Acosta stated “This Office and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate those who attempt to benefit at the expense of the sick and elderly, nor will we tolerate public corruption of any kind. We will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute cases which involve the betrayal of the public trust. This indictment reflects our commitment to those cases.”
Mr. Acosta commended the long-term investigative efforts of the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the cooperation of the Delray Beach Police Department during the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew C. Lourie and John S. Kastrenakes of the West Palm Beach Branch Office.
