PHOTO COURTESY NORM SCHULZIt’s good news and better news! The winter show circuit is nearly finished, and “successful” has been the sentiment among boatbuilders and dealers. Meanwhile, four men in Florida are guilty of fencing stolen outboards worth millions of dollars.
Progressive Novi Boat Show
The Progressive Novi Boat Show wrapped up its four-day run in the Detroit area’s Suburban Collection Showplace last weekend with some 12,000 visitors having attended. While attendance was down from last year’s record-setting crowds, the number of attendees was 5% higher than pre-pandemic 2019. Moreover, exhibitors reported strong sales and that the demand for boats continues to be healthy.
“It’s notable that this show saw a dramatic increase in boats available,” says Nicki Polan, executive director of the Michigan Boating Industries Association. “The attendees loved the availability. We had nearly 500 boats on display, up 40% increase from our 2022 show, and we also made it a fun family event with such activities as our Kids Zone, Boating and Surfing Simulators, Tiki Bar, ‘Paint-A-Paddle Workshop’ and more.”
Orlando Boat Show
Eyes now shift to Florida as the Orlando Boat Show drops anchor in the Orange County Convention Center. This popular show, which runs tomorrow through Sunday, features 21 Central Florida boat dealers representing more than 80 manufacturers with 400 boats now slated for display.
Show highlights include angling activities and exhibits. Examples include: fishing in the show’s freshwater trout pond; a virtual Saltwater Fishing Simulator; and a Fishing Zone with everything from rod and reels to lures and clothing. The show is produced by the Marine Industries Association of Central Florida.
Outboard Theft Ring Busted
The Marine Industries Association of Southwest Florida and Tampa Bay are applauding news that four Florida residents have pled guilty to fencing approximately 600 stolen outboard engines and shipping them illegally to Mexico, according to reports by federal authorities in Miami.
For several years, MIASWF has been alerting its members along Florida’s west coast about dealership and boatyard break-ins targeting outboards. The association has also been working with local law enforcement.
The four defendants were initially charged last July, and recently pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in a plea deal. Their plea agreements involve cooperation with authorities. They still face up to five years in prison at sentencings slated for May before U.S. District Judge Robert Scola, and they must pay forfeiture penalties of somewhere between $50,000 and $120,000 each.
The indictments were built upon allegedly falsified records, along with video surveillance footage. Investigations revealed dozens of individuals actually delivered the stolen engines to Ms. Nadia Esperanza Ledesma, 46, president of a freight-forwarding company, Netcycle Trading Corp., and her husband, Carlos Orlando Ledesma, 57, Netcycle’s warehouse manager. They admitted to illegally exporting the outboards.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami: “The engines had visible damage from the thefts, and cables and lines had been cut rather than properly detached.” The indictment details that Ledesma created false bills of sale and submitted bogus export labels to the U.S. government.
Also pleading guilty are co-conspirators Roberto Marrero-Cisneros, who admitted to sticking false serial numbers on the engines (but did not work at the freight-forwarding business), and Osmani Valdivia Perez, who admitted paying cash for the outboard engines, the phony serial numbers and the illegal exports.
Many of the stolen engines were illegally exported to Tomas Vale Valdivia, who was based in Mexico and actually financed the illicit fencing and shipping scheme, according to investigators. Not surprising, in a separate case, Valdivia was sentenced in early 2020 to nearly five years in prison for smuggling immigrants into the United States.
It is not clear from the indictment whether the outboard engines were stolen from stripped-down power boats kept at dealers, marinas or owner’s homes. But the sheer number is staggering and it doesn’t take rocket science to figure many had to be stolen from dealership yards.
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations and the Coast Guard, and prosecuted by prosecutors Ana Maria Martinez and Darren Grove with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. All deserve a well-earned salute for their work.
