The Blogfather

Accused embezzler's mark on Dennis

The Windles do Dennis--Plaques, rocks--Always with a touch of class

Harwich Port resident Jeffrey Windle, who was recently arrested on suspicion of stealing millions of dollars from the Natick company he worked for, as well as $200 - $400,000 from the South Dennis Congregational Church, lived in Dennis for years with his wife and children prior to moving to a $1.9 million house in Harwich Port.

Following up on a previous post regarding the Mid-Cape's latest scuttlebutt, I have spoken with a couple of local moms regarding Jeannine Windle and her husband Jeffrey Windle, Cape Cod's alleged embezzler du jour.

Jeannine Windle, the alleged embezzler's wife, has been described to me as "short, with curly hair and glasses" and as being "no trophy wife." When she was president of the Ezra Baker Parent-Teacher Activity Council, one of the projects they did was to build a new playground for the school. The council had been raising money for years for the playground. "Out of the blue" (as it was described to me) there was a supposedly a large donation of about $100,000 which the school principal allegedly said came from an anonymous source. This allowed the playground to be built.  Jeannine's name is emblazoned on a plaque at the playground, for posterity.  Jeannine's Facebook page is here.  Any logged-in member can see her full profile and 7 friends.  *

In posts later on this week, I will explore the Windle family's transition down Route 28 from Dennis to upscale Harwichport, in which Jeannine's sense of style (or lack thereof) proves the old adage:   You can take the girl out of Dennis, but you can't take Dennis out of the girl.

 No offense intended toward the lovely moms of Dennis;  it was Jeannine who supposedly snubbed her Dennis friends after her husband's newfound wealth allowed her to move down the street to a premier property overlooking Wychmere Harbor.

A source I spoke with told me about some rather shocking incidents  related to Jeffrey's alleged sticky fingers and penchant for forgery, which go back more than 10 years.    Jeffrey was employed as a landscaper for one or more local landscaping companies.  (More later on this week regarding Jeffrey's short-lived  career in retail.  Care to guess why it ended so soon?) 

While working at the landscaping companies, he and Jeannine were living at their property (which they still own) at 346 Trotting Park Lane.    Jeannine and Jeffrey purchased the property in 1996.  In 1997, according to the Cape Cod Times, Jeffrey was convicted of filing false tax returns to receive $78,000 in tax refunds.   He was allegedly sentenced to 12 - 15 months in prison.  Two to three days before he was to go to jail, the Windles had a large party at their Trotting Park Road house. 

The Windles'  daughter  was born in 1996

When Jeannine and her husband were first living in Dennis and their children were very small, Jeannine drove a Ford Taurus wagon (more about the fate of this car in a later post). At some point, she began driving a Mercedes (Jeannine's was a Mercedes GL450, which retails for $56,000).   Jeffrey allegedly drove a BMW.

The Windles' house abuts the grounds of the Ezra Baker School where Jeannine voluteered.  A short distance away is the South Dennis Congregational Church, where  Jeffrey selflessly volunteered his services as treasurer.  It's a beautiful old church in historic West Dennis, bordered by an ancient cemetery full of Nickersons and Crowells.    It has been reported that Jeffrey is supected of pilfering $200,000 - $400,000 from the church.   A search of Guidestar.org, an online source of financial documents filed by non-profits, does not have anything for this church.  The non-profits submit their information voluntarily to this site.  Other churches in Dennis and most non-profits in Dennis have their information on file with Guidestar, but not this church.

Naming the lawn jockey

Photographs taken today of the Windles' house on Trotting Park Road, which according to sources, is now rented , show a house much more spruced-up than the photo attached to their property record on file at the town hall.  It has been painted and landscaped extensively.  Still, the cheerful lawn jockey remains, although now he's flanked by a rock bearing the Windle's name.    What should we name him, readers?  Jeffrey Jr.?  Make your suggestions  in the comments below. A plaque and a rock, each with a Windle's name on them,  less than a quarter mile from each other.

 Perhaps the funniest thing I've found so far is Jeffrey's middle initial:   S.   Here is how his name appears on numerous official documents I have looked at while investigating the Windles:

Jeffrey S. Windle.    Swindle. Get it?

Later on this week, look for more posts about the Windles in Harwichport, other interesting members of the Windle family, and another house.

Anyone who wishes to contact me with information about the Windles or this case,  or pictures of the Windles (not the children), please email me at julie@ecape.com or call me at (508)385-0003 x 106.

 *I declined to make a friend request to Jeannine  on Facebook, for obvious reasons.

Photos, top to bottom:  The plaque by the playground at Ezra Baker Elementary School; the playground; the playset on the Trotting Park Road house with the new Ezra Baker playground in the distance; the South Dennis Congregational Church; the lawn jockey in front of the Windles' former house at Trotting Park Road; cars parked at the same property today.

See previous post on The Windles here.

All photographs by Julie Brooks, copyright eCape, Inc. /  CapeCodToday.com