The Blogfather

Jeffrey Windle pleads "Not Guilty"

Electronic Clerk Notes for proceedings held before Magistrate Judge Judith G. Dein:

Posted on the US District Court's Public Document system today

Arraignment as to Jeffrey S. Windle (1) Count 1-5,6-10,11-15 held on 6/30/2008, Plea entered by Jeffrey S. Windle: Not Guilty on counts all.

Asst.US Attorney Ortiz and Attorney Moscardelli for the defense.; 1st conference is set for August 4, 2008 at 2:15pm (Court Reporter DR.) (Quinn, Thomas)

2 comments »

Windle charged by US Attorney with 15 counts

  Harwich man accused of embezzling $14 million from employer, church

  On left is the $2 million dollar house on Route 28 in Harwich Port which Jeffrey Windle allegedly bought with embezzled funds from his job and his church. On the right is his new, rent-free home at the Plymouth House of Correction near Exit 5 on Route 3 in Plymouth.

Sordid details below, being held at Plymouth House of Corrections

Windle may also have taken between as much as $400,000 from his church, according to an FBI agent's testimony investigating the case.Federal prosecutors have charged a Cape Cod man with embezzling nearly $14 million from his employer, and using much of the cash to buy real estate including a $2 million dollar estate overlooking Wychmere Harbor and another in Placida, Florida valued at $2.5 million as well as pleasure boats and expensive cars.  U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan said Friday a grand jury charged Jeffrey Windle with mail fraud - five counts of wire fraud and another five counts of money laundering.

See the entire indictment as a linked PDF below.

The 41-year-old was arrested on May 2nd, and has since been held in at The Plymouth House of Correction without bail.

Was company's Budget Director, church's treasurer

Prosecutors charged Jeffrey Windle with stealing nearly $14 million from Cambium Learning, a Natick-based provider of education materials for special-needs students. Windle was Cambium's budget director.  The indictment alleges Windle used some of the cash to help pay for his estates both here and in Florida. Other purchases made allegedly with the stolen money included several boats and costly imported automobiles.

As previously reported here (below) he is accused of stealing between $200,000 and $400,000 from his church, the South Dennis Congregational Church, where he was the volunteer treasurer.

List of charges:

• Counts 1-5:  Mail Fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1341):  Maximum punishment of 20 years' imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and three years supervised release.
• Counts 6-10:  Wire Fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1343):  Maximum punishment of 20 years' imprisonment, a fine of $250,00, and three years supervised release.
• Counts 11-15: Money Laundering (18 U.S.C. § 1957):  Maximum punishment of 10 years' imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, and three years supervised release.
• Read the Windle saga by scrolling to the posts below, and read the official indictment in PDF form here.

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Help requested in locating accused embezzler's assets

• Fraud investigating firm requests help from anyone who has knowledge of Jeffrey and Jeannine's assets--totally confidential--see below for more info
• Jeffrey and Jeannine legally allow marine surveyer to evaluate boats
  
• Cambium Learning's bond rating decreased as a direct result of alleged embezzlement
• No electricity or water at Jeffrey's property in Florida with $250,000 worth of landscaping

Members of the Jeffrey Windle Fan Club have been parched for news lately, but a few tidbits have tumbled in over the last couple of weeks, and as always, I'm happy to share. Jeffrey Windle, 41, a former resident of Harwich Port who is accused of embezzling $14 million from his employer, Natick-based Cambium Learning, Inc. and between $200,000 and $400,000 from the South Dennis Congregational Church, was arrested on May 2nd and is in federal custody, being held without bail  (see previous blog postings on the Windle case at the bottom of this posting.)  Jeffrey's case is one the most spectacular allegations of embezzlement in Cape Cod history. 
Every day, I check the U.S. District Court of Boston's website and two other sources for news of Jeffrey's plea or sentencing, and in the last two weeks, there has been nada of interest except for a new document I'll explain below. We are rapidly approaching the end of June, when apparently, Jeffrey is supposed to plead guilty or not guilty, and be sentenced or go to trial, unless another extension is filed.

Since my last blog posting, I have heard from many people:  residents of the Placida, Florida neighborhood where Jeffrey's $2.5 million+ compound is located;  people formerly of Cambium Learning, Inc., the company he is accused of stealing $14 million from; the fraud investigating firm, Stroz Freidberg, which Cambium Learning hired to help locate Jeffrey and his wife Jeannine's assets;   people associated with the South Dennis Congregational Church, where Jeffrey acted as volunteer treasurer and also whose accounts he allegedly used to launder Cambium's money; as well as past personal acquaintances of Jeff's family and Jeannine's family.  The list goes on and on.  I have  emailed the 118-page court report which details Jeffrey's alleged embezzlement to at least 50 people from all over the country who have requested it. 

Please help Stroz Friedberg, the fraud investigating firm--dedicated and discreet email and phone line

Stroz Friedberg was hired by Cambium to locate as many of Jeffrey and Jeannine's assets as possible.    Cambium, which employs many people, is reeling from this incident and needs to get back what it can.     If you've been reading this blog, you can probably do the math and figure out that the houses, cars, and boats don't add up to $14 million.  Jeffrey and Jeannine were reportedly VERY big spenders on all sorts of things (that's for another blog posting).  If you know of anything or anyone who can point Stroz in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated.   They are looking for assets--bank accounts, real estate, etc.   I have spoken to the Senior Investigator, Thomas Kelly,  and he is a nice guy to deal with.   Here's what he emailed me:

 Stroz Friedberg Investigations ("SFI") is looking for anyone who may beable to provide information about Jeffrey or Jeannine Windle.  Specifically, we are looking to speak to anyone who may have engaged Jeffrey and Jeannine Windle in conversations with a specific focus on their source of wealth and their assets.  We have a dedicated email address and phone number that can be used to contact SFI with any relevant information.  All information will be confidential.
Email:   jwinfo@strozllc.com   Telephone:  (212) 766-6035   Thomas Kelley

Boring documents about boat surveying & out-of-state attorneys

There was a flurry of documents filed recently in the U.S. District Court in Boston (after two weeks of nothing) in the Windle case, and if anyone else who doesn't have a life wants to read them, I'll email them to you.  But in a nutshell, the documents say that Jeffrey and Jeannine have given their consent for Cambium Learnings' hired marine surveyor to evaluate (this must mean appraise) the boats.      There are also documents relating to Cambium's hiring attorneys in  New York and Florida for work on this case, even though the case is in Masschusetts.     I had to look up many legal terms in Wikipedia and I wish I could've uncovered something juicy but so far, zilcho.    These legal documents are a good cure for insomnia, I'll tell you.

Cambium Learning's bond rating decreased as a direct result of alleged embezzlement

This I've known for about two weeks.    Here's the bottom line:  Cambium Learning is a privately held company which does about $100 million per year in revenue.  What their net profit is on this, I don't know, but say it's $10 million.    Jeffrey allegedly stole $14 million, albeit over 4 years.   This company has had 3 CEO's in the past 6 years.  They have acquired companies and been acquired.  Their total debt stands at $131 million.  And recently, their corporate credit rating was cut from B to B-- by Moody's.   What this means is that when Cambium wants to borrow money, it is now going to have to pay 1 to 1.5 points above prime, according to a former stockbroker I spoke with. When you're borrowing millions, this works out to big bucks.   A recent comment on my previous blog posting reads:

I worked for that company for almost 6 years until last year. i still have friends there that tell me they owe just the garbage company over $ 40,000 and cant get the trash and card board hauled off.

Water cut off, Florida property's landscaping on brink of frying

Jeffrey and Jeannine own  two adjacent properties on the intracoastal waterway in Placida, Florida, which have very recently installed, very extensive landscaping worth upwards of $400,000.   (See picture at right.)  Since Jeffrey's arrest May 2,  no landscapers have maintained the property.  The neighbors were very concerned about what would happen to the property once the electricity and water were turned off for nonpayment,  since the automatic irrigation system is powered by electricity, and of course, water.

 Well, that has finally happened.    As of yesterday, the water and electricity were cut off.  My source tells me the landscaping will really "go to hell" now and will all be gone in 2-3 weeks in the Florida heat.    Concerned neighbors have contacted people at Cambium to see what can be done before this property turns into an ugly eyesore but Cambium has not acted.   Cambium did have someone out there taking pictures of the properties a couple of weeks ago.  

The situation reminds me of the doggerel which begins, "For want of a nail, the shoe was lost..."  I of course don't know all the legal ramifications of this, but I know that technically Cambium does not own the properties (yet) but they probably will soon.    It was Cambium's money which paid for the properties and  the landscaping.  I'm sure the electric and water companies don't care who pays the bill as long as they're paid.  And the properties will suffer a huge depreciation in value if all the landscaping dies (and affect the property values of the whole neighborhood as well.)  This whole thing was finally publicized locally in the Sarasota Herald Tribune on May 26th.   A total of $300,00 in liens have been filed by various subcontractors. 

I have received many emails and calls with tips about this case.  All are appreciated.

Call or email me:   Julie Brooks --508-385-0003 x 106

Past postings related to the Windle case:

Windle allegedly used church for money laundering

$14 million in attachments filed in alleged Harwich embezzler case

Alleged Harwich Port embezzler built lavish compound in Florida

Alleged embezzler's attorney arrested for gun threat

Accused embezzler's mark on Dennis

Googleable: A Tale of Two Houses

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Windle allegedly used Dennis church for money laundering

• Millions of dollars allegedly flowed through church's accounts without its knowledge
• Total amount alleged to have been stolen from company is increased to $14 million
• Jeffrey Windle filed for bankruptcy 4 times in 6 years
  
• New 118-page report makes great summer reading (how to get it?  See end of this article)
  

 United States of America v. Jeffrey Windle et. al.

Accused Harwich Port embezzler Jeffrey S.  Windle, 41, (mug shot on right) who is currently being held without bail on  suspicion of embezzling money from his former employer,  as well as from a local church, has a more complex criminal and financial history than has been previously reported, as revealed in a 118-page complaint filed in the U.S.  District Court on Thursday, May 22.    Mr.  Windle faces up to 7 years in federal prison for alleged mail and wire fraud charges.   On May 27th, his attorney, John Moscardelli, and Assistant U.S.  District Attorney Carmen Ortiz have a meeting to work out a possible plea agreement in return for Jeffrey's help in locating assets to satisfy the plaintiff, Cambium Learning, Inc.  Based in Natick, MA, Cambium was Jeffrey's employer from January  2004 until the end of April 2008.

The complaint document details numerous transactions  between the bank accounts at Sopris West, a Cambium Learning subsidiary, and various boat dealers and real estate agents.    It is also alleged that Mr. Windle stole between $200,000 and $400,000 from the accounts of the South Dennis Congregational Church, where he was volunteer treasurer.  (Church is pictured below.)   In addition to suspected theft, the new complaint document reveals that Jeffrey apparently

 "...also exploited his position as the Treasurer of his church, the Congregational Church of South Dennis (the “Church”), to further his fraudulent scheme. Mr. Windle, who became the treasurer of the Church in 2003, either set up fictitious bank accounts in the Church’s name or used dormant accounts held by the Church at TD [Banknorth].

Mr. Windle then wired or transferred millions of dollars from Cambium to these bank accounts. Mr. Windle withdrew the money in the accounts for his own purposes, including writing several checks to himself....

The Church had no involvement with, or understanding of, Mr. Windle’s actions
with respect to the aforementioned TD accounts; Mr. Windle either arranged for the statements to be mailed directly to his residence at 652 Main Street, Harwichport, MA, or the Church staff simply gave him the unopened statements that had been mailed to the Church."

The church's accounts were involved in the purchase of 3 of Mr. Windle's 5 boats: a 41' Tiara yacht for $162,624, a 41' Albemarle for $680,681, and a 31' Albemarle for $274,203.

Cambium Learning, Inc. ,  after discovering that Mr. Windle seemed to be implicated in the disappearance of large amounts of money from its accounts, retained the services of two forensic accounting and fraud investigating firms, FTI Consulting and Stroz Friedberg, LLC.   The purpose in hiring the firms was to find as many tangible assets as possible which were purchased with Cambium's money and then establish the paper trail from the company's accounts to the assets, in order to prove in a court of law that Cambium should take possession of these assets.    Their detailed findings are contained in the recent complaint.  The complaint has numerous images of cancelled checks and wire transfer receipts, and recaps  Jeffrey's past criminal offenses as well as giving some personal details about his life.

After love, marriage, and a baby: 4 bankruptcies, 3  criminal convictions, and 15 months in federal prison

Born in Worcester, Jeffrey Windle graduated from Wachusett High School in 1985 and from Bentley College in 1989 with a degree in finance (big surprise.)

He has been married to Jeannine Windle since 1994, and they have two children, ages 11 and 8.

In 1993, Jeffrey obtained a $55,000 bank loan after providing false information and forging his parents' signatures as co-signers.    He pled guilty to these charges in 1996, a year in which he also pled guilty to other  charges of larceny, forgery and stealing two blank checks from his employer and using one as a deposit on a boat.

In 1997, Jeffrey pled guilty to filing false claims for federal income tax refunds and was sentenced to 15 months in a "boot camp" -style federal prison.  He was released from federal prison on June 19, 1998, (nearly ten years ago).

Contrary to what I reported previously in this blog, this complaint says that Jeffrey filed for bankruptcy 4 times in 6 years, (not twice, as I had originally reported --sorry, two of them weren't on the report I looked at. ) The dates for the bankruptcy filings are:

6/27/97 Chapter 13

10/7/99 Chapter 7

5/15/02 Chapter 13

2/7/03 Chapter 13

Jeffrey Windle began working for Cambium Learning as a temp in January 2004 and was named Director of Budget and Finance in June 2004.   He was authorized to make transfers of money between various company accounts, but not authorized to make wire transfers to outside parties without the approval of his supervisor.   Allegedly, he did the transfers anyway and concealed his activities by having the bank statements for the accounts mailed to his address in Harwich Port and making fake  spreadsheets showing what was in the accounts to show to his employee, Nancy Young, senior staff accountant at Cambium Learning.

The complaint contains details about the Windle's cars and real estate purchases.  Since Jeannine Windle is named as co-owner of the boats,  she is a party to the complaint, as is her mother, who is  a sucessor trustee.

 Jeffrey's case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. District Attorney Carmen Ortiz,  of the Economic Crimes Division. She  specializes in prosecuting white-collar crime. The FBI agent responsible for the Windle case is Special Agent Sheila Magoon,  and the Magistrate Judge who ordered his arrest and also denied him bail is Judith Dein.    Jeffrey, you may finally have met your match due to the hard work of  these lovely ladies, as well as other law enforcement and court employees.

Dying to read the juicy details of the report?  Just email me  with "Windle report" in the subject and I'll email the whole thing to you.  It's a nearly 5 MB Adobe PDF file that's too big to have on our company's servers.    It's mostly NOT dense legalese and is pretty readable;  there are also a lot of fluff pages so it's not really a huge chore to read it.

I have received many emails and calls with tips about this case.  All are appreciated.

Call or email me:   Julie Brooks --508-385-0003 x 106
Past postings related to the Windle case:

$14 million in attachments filed in alleged Harwich embezzler case

Alleged Harwich Port embezzler built lavish compound in Florida

Alleged embezzler's attorney arrested for gun threat

Accused embezzler's mark on Dennis

Googleable: A Tale of Two Houses

3 comments »

$14 million in attachments filed in alleged Harwich embezzler case

Cambium Learning, Inc., accused embezzler's former employer, files attachments for $14 million on Windle properties in 3 counties

• Two subcontractors file liens totalling $271,ooo on the Florida property; attachment lists Windles' cars
• Windle's attorney files for an extension to work out a potential plea agreement
• New! Pictures of Jeffrey's boats and waterfront landscaping in Florida
  
• Windle almost bought another Harwich Port $4.9 million property in late summer of 2007

Earlier this week,  Cambium Learning, Inc., the company in which accused embezzler Jeffrey Windle of Harwich Port formerly worked as Director of Budget and Finance,  filed attachments on properties in 3 counties where Jeffrey Windle owned property--Barnstable and Plymouth Counties in Massachusetts, and Charlotte County in Florida.    Jeffrey Windle was arrested in Harwich Port on May 2 on charges that he allegedly embezzled between $5 - $12 million from his company, as well as between $200,000 and $400,00 from the South Dennis Congregational Church, where he was volunteer treasurer.     With the alleged embezzled funds, he purchased 6 cars, 6 boats, a $1.9 million house in Harwich Port,  a house in Duxbury, and two houses in Florida.  See links to recent stories about Jeffey Windle at the bottom of this article.

When an entity files an attachment on a property, it basically means that the  entities named as defendants cannot sell the assets named in the attachment without satisfaction up to the amount claimed by the filing entity.   The attachment is granted by a judge on behalf of creditors.

 
The Duxbury house purchased by E & S Realty Trust in February 2007. The attachment, which is accessible online at the Barnstable County Registry of Deeds and can be accessed by searching for "E & S Realty Trust" lists houses, bank accounts, and vehicles belonging to Jeffrey and/or his wife Jeannine Windle.   In order to see this document,  you have to download a separate program.  And you can't print it  out (without joining, which is a snail mail, not online, procedure. ) And you can't take a screen shot.  But, nothing prevents you (or me) from taking a digital photo of your computer screen, which I have done.  The pages worth looking at are the ones here, here, and here which list the properties, bank accounts, and cars. 

A total of 4 houses purchased

I ran across a couple of new names in my digging today:  Carol Hanson and Kevin Hanson.  My sources tell me that Carol Hanson is Jeannine Windle's mother, and Kevin Hanson is her stepbrother.

Through online Registry of Deeds research I have found that various trusts and family members of both Jeffrey and Jeannine Windle were involved in the purchase of 4 properties since 2004. 

There is E & S Family LLC, registered in Florida, to Jeffrey & Jeannine Windle.

There is E & S Realty Trust, registered in Massachusetts.  The trustees include William Windle  & Jeffrey Windle , with Carol Hanson being assigned as successor trustee on July 21, 2007, which means she is named as a defendant in the attachment along with her daughter.  E & S are the initals of Jeffrey and Jeannine's two children.

E & S Realty Trust, along with William Windle (purportedly Jeffrey's brother),  purchased the home ( named Wychview) on 652 Main Street, Harwich Port for$1.9 million in 2004 and a house for $520,000 at 621 Cresecent Street in Duxbury, MA on Feb. 7, 2007.    Assessor's records say that the Duxbury house is in care of Kevin Hanson, believed to be Jeannine Windle's stepfather. 

Most recently,  the same two entities (E & S Realty Trust and William Windle) became the holders of the mortgage for $470,000 for a property at 528 Route 6A in Dennis.   The mortgagor is Marjorie Ulrich of Cape Cod Associates Real Estate and the building currently houses one of that company's offices.  Michael Ulrich of the same company was the owner of the house at 652 Main Street, Harwich Port before Jeffrey Windle bought it.

Will the Florida oasis dry up?

E & S Family LLC,  incorporated in Florida, purchased two adjacent houses in 2006 and 2007 at 270 Capstan Drive in Placida, Florida for more than $2.5 million combined, and then began extensive renovations and landscaping .

Two subcontractors working on the renovations on the Florida property have filed liens.  One is by Hazeltine Landscaping, which claims it is owed $145,491, another is by Leo Pfliger Construction, claiming $125,991.    Very extensive landscaping only recently put in is now at risk of rapidily deteriorating. Area residents have emailed me concerned about the property; with all Jeffrey's bank accounts frozen and no one to maintain and water the property, the Florida heat will soon turn this oasis into a brown, unsightly  mess with vermin as a bonus.

Above: Boats and newly finished landscaping on a canal connecting to the Intracoastal Waterway behind Jeffrey Windle's property in Placida, FL.

See end of article for two new pictures of his Florida property.

Houses, bank accounts, and cars listed in attachment; but not boats

Here is a list of the cars named in the attachment:
2007 GMC Sierra

2004 Mercedes E320

2005 Jeep Wrangler

2005 Mercedes CLK500 convertible (license WYCH2)]

1974 VW convertible

2007 Mercedes GL450 (license WYCHVU)

I was immediately curious as to why Jeffreys' 6 boats were not included in the attachment.  A spokesperson from Cambium Learning  informed me that the boats had already been "arrested" or frozen, prior to the issuance of this attachment by the U.S. District Attorney,  due to the direct evidence linking them to the allegedly embezzled money, so there was no need to include them in the recent attachment.

Windle's attorney files Joint Motion to Exclude Time

 John Moscardelli, the attorney representing Jeffrey Windle, recently filed a Joint Motion to Exclude Time on May 20, 2008. You can read the full three pages here.   Basically, his attorney is requesting that 30 days be added to the time before which Jeffrey needs to charged by indictment or information, in order to give both parties time to work out a potential plea agreement.  The document states that "the parties agreed to set up a meeting in which the defendent will make a proffer in an effort to coooperate and assist the government in locating assets and fraud proceeds, in the interest of making restitution to the victim."  The meeting is set for May 27.

Almost bought a $4.9 million home; backed out the night before closing

Also named in the attachment is  a property located very close to the Windles'  Harwich Port home.   The property does not belong to the Windles or any of their associated trusts.  It is a stone's throw from the beautiful Wychmere Harbor Club and consists of three buildings overlooking Wychmere Harbor.   (The picture on the right is the view of Wychmere Harbor from the house.)  It is owned by NIC Limited Partnership c/o GTI Properties Inc., located in Boston.   It is currently listed for sale by Kinlin Grover for $4.9 million.  GTI lawyers tell me that it is a mistake that the property was put on the attachment;  Jeffrey signed a purchase and sale agreement for this property late last summer and then backed out.  The property is legally unencumbered and the reference to it on the attachment is going to be removed.

Above:  View of canal connecting to the Intracoastal Waterway behind Jeffrey's house, with boat lift.

Above: View of canal connecting to the Intracoastal Waterway behind Jeffrey's house, plus two of Jeffrey's boats..

I have received many emails and calls with tips about this case.  All are appreciated.

Call or email me:   Julie Brooks --508-385-0003 x 106
Past postings related to the Windle case:

Alleged Harwich Port embezzler built lavish compound in Florida

Alleged embezzler's attorney arrested for gun threat

Accused embezzler's mark on Dennis

Googleable: A Tale of Two Houses

10 comments »

Alleged Harwich Port embezzler built lavish compound in Florida

Jeffrey Windle was supposed to sign off on final project on May 16th

Accused Harwich Port embezzler Jeffrey Windle purchased two adjacent homes in Placida, Florida (an exclusive community in the Sarasota area of Florida) and did extensive renovations, transforming the two stand-alone properties into a luxurious compound, including two indoor pools,  docks and boats on a canal connecting to the Intracoastal waterway.   E & S Family LLC, is a limited liability corporation formed by Jeffrey and Jeannine Windle in 2006, listing its address  as 652 Main Street in Harwich Port. 

In 2006, E & S Family LLC purchased a 2100 square f0ot house at 270 Capstan Drive in Placida, FL for $1.28 million.     (Many thanks to a fellow sleuthing mom in the real estate business, whom I have never met,  who dug up this address and passed it along to  me, which gave me a base to find out all the details on the Windles in Florida.) 

Then, in June 2007, E & S Family LLC, purchased the  2,334 square foot  property next door for $1,265,000.   Jeffrey Windle then began fairly extensive renovations, as shown in the two before-and-after aerial aerial photographs (accessible to anyone at MSN Live,) including building an addition on to one property, changing the roofs to match, and redesigning  all the landscaping to make the properties have an adjoining driveway.    A Google search of Jeffrey Windle Florida shows his phone number for this property: 

I dialed it and the message said that "This person cannot take this call."  That's because he's in jail ;) All the permitting documents, referred to as "Notice of Commencement" or NOC's, are easily viewable online by visting the Charlotte County website and typing in Windle.    As of Friday,  May 16,   neither of the two daily newspapers in the area had reported anything about Jeffrey Windle's arrest.    I have called 3 of the subcontractors who filed NOC's and told them about Jeffey's arrest.  None of them had heard anything about it and in fact were wondering why they hadn't heard anything  from Jeffrey in awhile (he was arrested May 2).   Two of the other subcontractors had  filed liens prior to Friday  (also accessible on the same website); maybe or maybe not because they knew of Jeffrey's arrest.

A source I spoke to stated that Jeffrey, who rarely visited the properties, in fact was expected to arrive on Friday, May 16  to sign off on all the paperwork for the completion of all the work on the compound.   Needless to say, Jeffrey did not show up that day, being that he was in federal custody and being held without bail.   Jeffrey told this source that he was planning to spend only 2 t o 3 weeks per year at this place.   Jeffrey had "at least 3 boats" at this compound according to the source.    I alerted the local daily newspaper of Jeffrey's arrest and they are going to report it.  I'm glad to hear this so that the subcontractors who did work on his compound can be informed and file the necessary liens.     The person acting as general contractor for the project is in fact the person who used to own the second house that Jeffrey bought, and has been supervising the project for the last 4 months.    The project has been only very recently completed and is ""quite impressive" according to a source.   Jeannine Windle and the children have reportedly been to the houses for brief periods of time.

Above:  Photos of one of the Windles' Florida houses.

I have stated the facts.  The photographs speak for themselves.    My question is, why did Jeffrey buy these houses and do this renovation?  Was he planning to leave his job in Natick and move his family to the Florida compound?  Was he planning to sell the Florida compound to make a profit (my husband says no, if you wanted to flip the houses you'd never combine two houses, you'd sell them separately--he's right, I think.)  Did he think that Cambium Learning, Inc. (the company he is accused of stealing from) would simply fail to notice the missing millions and that he, Jeannine, and the kids would enjoy a peaceful early retirement in Florida?

Personally, this whole Florida thing takes my breath away and I find it quite unbelievable.  Yet the facts and the photos are there for anyone  to see.    This whole case just gets weirder and weirder.  I can't believe he bought two houses in Florida for a combined $2.5 million with allegedly stolen money.  I can't believe he spent another half million (according to one estimate I heard) making it into a compound with two houses, two pools, and docks for three or four boats.  I can't believe no one down there knew about it until I told them, and I can't believe someone would supposedly steal all this money and then not leave the country before getting caught.   Truth is truly stranger than fiction.

Anyone with any information or pictures re: the Windles , please email me.

Scroll down to read my three previous blog postings about Jeffrey Windle.

26 comments »

Alleged embezzler's attorney arrested for gun threat

Couple rode a financial roller coaster; Harwich Port's own Carmela Soprano

Court records reveal that accused Harwich Port embezzler Jeffrey S.  Windle and his wife Jeannine Windle have filed for both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies in the past.  Harwich Port resident Jeffrey Windle, who was recently arrested on suspicion of stealing millions of dollars from Cambium Learning, the  Natick company he worked for, as well as $200,000 - $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.   After moving, the Windles began extensive renovations on their house and Jeffrey began his collection of six boats.    In the 90's Jeffrey Windle was convicted of filing false tax returns, larceny, forgery, and uttering  (See the list of crimes in this  Cape Cod Chronicle article. )

The Windles hired Cape Cod's most respectable bankruptcy attorney
The Windle's Chapter 13 bankruptcy was handled by Attorney Robert J. Daly.  But Jeffrey and Jeannine couldn't have foreseen the handcuffs in Jeff's future when they hired Shaun Ellis, a Sagamore-based bankruptcy attorney who represented them for the Chapter 7 filing.   Attorney Ellis (pictured at right, getting arrested wearing a Peter Tosh T-Shirt) was arrested in Harwich in July 2007 for threatening a CVS clerk with a handgun.  Police found a cache of deadly weapons in the trunk of his car.  Click here  for CCToday coverage of this story and more pictures.   Aside from his and Jeannine's love of legible casual wear (see below),  I'm guessing it was sheer coincidence that they hired him, and it was before Ellis' arrest, obviously.

 I'm telling you, you just can't make this stuff up ;)

Jeannine's unique sense of style
I have received emails and phone calls from various people who knew Jeannine both before and after she moved down the road from her 3- bedroom house in Dennis to her 7-bedroom house in Harwich.    One person described how she dressed while living in Dennis:  "...she wore her husband's big button-down shirts, capri sweats, and carried a Vera Bradley bag."   Sometime before her move to Harwich, she began wearing a 6-karat diamond ring "the size of the rock of Gibraltor" and upgraded  her purse to a "Coach bag and accessories worth at least $1000."  

Jeannine retained her love of comfort clothes, though, and after moving to tony Harwich Port, could be frequently be seen wearing a sweatshirt which said "Harwich Port."  One caller described her as having "money but no taste" and was clearly not the "daughter of a doctor as people thought she was."   She has been described as "a loudmouth" and as "always yelling at her kids at soccer games." 

"She's the Carmela Soprano of Harwich Port"
Although Jeannine allegedly knew her husband had been convicted of numerous crimes prior to their move to the Cape in in mid-90's, and although he was convicted of filing fake tax returns after their move here and the birth of their daughter, it is  stated that she had no knowledge of his most recent and most spectacular alleged embezzling activities and supposedly believed her  husband, a former landscaper,  was receiving bonuses from his employer.

A wife turning a blind eye to the source of her husband's income while spending it as fast as she could?  Sounds like Carmela Soprano of HBO's excellent series The Sopranos,  about a mob boss, Tony Soprano, his wife Carmela (pictured left), and their family.   I'm not at all implying that Jeffrey had mob ties, but at least he can say he had more boats than Tony's lone Stugots.   I must credit a fabulous  eCape staffer for making the Carmela/Jeannine connection.

No lawn jockeys at the new Harwich Port digs
The deed for their house at 652 Main Street in Harwich Port was recorded on December 3, 2004.  The house was purchased for $1,905,000 from Michael Ulrich, trustee of Seashore Properties Realty Trust, and legally purchased by William Windle (Jeffrey's brother) and E & S Realty Trust, which was owned by Jeffrey and Jeannine.    E & S are the initials of their two children's names (how touching)  which I know but will not record here.  

 The house sits across the street from Wychmere Harbor;  the views from the 2nd floor of the house are no doubt breathtaking.   The Windles did a lot of work on the house, putting in a fence,  granite floors, detailed landscaping, a tennis court, and a playground for their kids.  The house has 7 bedrooms and 6.5 baths according to the assessor's report.   

The Windles, Harwich Port's newest Power Couple,  were known to give lavish, catered parties and purportedly owned a margarita machine.   They became benefactors and hosts for the Harwich Mariners.   Jeffrey could be seen driving around town in a brand-new pickup truck with the name of their house Wychview Estate, on the side.   (I may not have the name or spelling of the house correct--please let me know if I'm wrong. )  Jeannine's car has this vanity plate:  WYCHVU.    Moms in Jeannine's circle in both towns were under the impression that Jeffrey "came from money" , which explained their lavish lifestyle.    

Please enjoy these pictures of Chez Windle at 652 Main Street, (Route 28)  in Harwich Port (there are actually three buildings on the property.)

The Windles had a large letter "W" inlaid in stone at the head of their driveway. (Pictured above) 

Does the "W "stand for Windle, or We're F***ed?

The house as seen from Route 28

The kids' playground behind the tennis court

The view of Wychmere Harbor

The clay tennis court

The main house and deck, as seen through the tennis court

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 did not seen any lawn jockeys on this property ;)

(See my previous post if  you don't get this reference.)

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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

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Googleable: A Tale of Two Houses

That Cape man who allegedly embezzled $5+ million
With a name like Windle, you shouldn't swindle, because you're too "Googleable"

The Windle family's 3-bedroom house (left) purchased in 1996; their current 7-bedroom house in Harwichport (right).

Cape Cod man charged with embezzling millions
   HYANNIS, Mass. - A Cape Cod man has been charged with embezzling millions of dollars from his employer and using much of the cash to buy expensive pleasure boats.
   According to testimony from an FBI agent, Jeffrey Windle of Harwich Port also is suspected of stealing from the Congregational Church of South Dennis, where he volunteered.
   A complaint in U.S. District Court in Boston charges the 41-year-old with fraud.
Prosecutors allege Windle stole at least $5 million from Cambium Learning, a Natick-based provider of education materials for special-needs students. Windle was Cambium’s budget director.It's amazing what ordinary people (like me) can dig up on you if you have a Googleable name like Windle.   By "Googleable," I mean uncommon.   Meaning, if I Google my own name without geographic qualifiers, the results are all about the 12,000 other Julie Brooks in the USA and not about me.  

Fascinated by the story in today's Cape Cod Times about Jeffrey Windle, the 41-year-old resident of Harwich who was arrested by the FBI for stealing millions from his company and is suspected of stealing between $200 - $400K from his church,  the Congregational Church of South Dennis, I immediately began my digital digging.   I was curious about this man's unfortunate family (suspecting that there is no way a man with this much money would be single.)

A search of the property tax assessment records for the town of Harwich for Mr. Windle reveal that his 7-bedroom, 6.5 bath house in Harwich is assessed at $1,895,000 and was purchased in 2004 for $1,904,000 by E & S Realty Trust, located at 346 Trotting Park Road, in Dennis.    A search of the same records for the town of Dennis reveal that Jeffrey Windle and Jeannine Windle purchased the 3-bedrooom, 1.5 bathroom house (complete with lawn jockey) in 1996 for $145,000.

Googling the perhaps unsuspecting Jeannine

Googling the perhaps unsuspecting Jeannine Windle reveals that she was the president of the Ezra Baker School's parent-teacher committee (back when they lived in Dennis) and that the Windles were benefactors of the Harwich Mariners and served as a host family for two players on the Harwich Mariners  (hey, why not use those 7 bedrooms for a good cause.)  Jeannine was thanked in the Harwich Elementary School newsletter  for helping out with a kids' art show.

 Jeannine is also named on the incorporation documents for E & S Family, LLC, incorporated in Florida.   Googling Jeffrey's name, the first search result is in connection with his church he is suspecting of looting, the South Dennis Congregational Church .   However, his name has been scrubbed from the page since Google indexed it.    Also, Jeffrey is mentioned as a defendant in a lawsuit in connection with several boats.

This is certainly a tragic and intriguing (to me at least) story of a man  who  drastically upgraded his and his family's  lifestyle, allegedly through embezzlement, over the course of four years.    Am I the only one with the rudimentary skills required to do the above Googling?  Of course not. Am I the only one who Googled the Windles?  Of course not.    We live in the information age, like it or not, and it's all out there. 

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The insufferable arrogance of Cape Cod washashores

Chatham prefers 8 "affordable" units on 1.3 acres over winter boat storage
Brewster & Orleans prefer a sub-division over a small horse farm

   Chatham wasn't promised a rose garden, and they'll get eight low-income units instead

By Walter Brooks, a.k.a. the Blogfather

I was speaking with Barnstable author Alexander Theroux last week upon his return from Estonia where he said he found the only native population ruder than his fellow Cape Codders.

We both decided that this phenomenon is the result of the Cape's re-population by washashores like ourselves rather than the old Cape Codders who were taciturn but polite.  My son, Jay Brooks, tells me that New Englanders are the only people who believe they should be able to control what their neighbors do with their property, and nowhere is that more harmful than here on the cape.

My daughter-in-law, Julie Brooks, who hails from the mid-south, says that New England is the only region in America where these two things occur;

1. It is possible to go to any convenience store, make a purchase, pay for it at a clerk checkout station, all without anyone making eye contact or speaking to one another, and
2. Only here  does one find "No Turning" signs in driveways as if Cape Codders would have a snit-fit if anyone used even a few feet of their precious property for that convenience.

Cape Codders are a fair people - they never speak well of one another

The latest two examples of our native cussedness which leap to mind are these.

The former Fougere's Nursery property on Route 28 in Chathamport was bought in 2002 by the owners of Ryder's Cove Boatyard as a place for storing boats in the winter months.

The property for decades has been used for a landscaping business with all the dirty trucks and other equipment typical of that business parked between piles of loam and wood chips, as the photo above taken yesterday shows.

Boats, whether at sea, at mooring or in a backyard are beautiful things, but the neighbors thought otherwise and stopped Ryder's Cove from making a reasonable use of their property.

It will now be auctioned off under an H20 permit request to build eight units in three buildings on 1-1/3 acres.  The neighboring snobs will get exactly what they deserve - eight families (hopefully with lots of loud kids) of modest mean instead of those horrible stored sailboats which would only be on the property in winter anyways as they watch their tax rate rise to service their new neighbors.

It's even worse in Brewster and Orleans

   You've probably driven pass this bucolic scene near the Brewster-Orleans town line on Route 39 near Route 28.  It will be a forty-acre horse farm with 23 mounts or a forty-plus subdivision.

The other example of unneighborly arrogance is shared by both Brewster and Orleans.

Mark Nickerson is a young home builder who wants to house twenty horses on forty acres he bought along Route 39 near the Brewster-Orleans town line.

The scene above show what the property looks like along the road.  He cleaned and landscaped the forty acres for pastures and trails, and as you drive by it looks like a bucolic parkland. But the neighbors don't like horses and the bureaucrats in Orleans want to flex their muscles to show their power and suggest that horses are a hazard to the water table but forty or more new houses would not. I guess the up to eighty families who might occupy that same land will wait till they get off the land before they use a bathroom to relieve themselves.

The Nickerson property is a credit to his good taste and a far better use of forty acres than another subdivision.  In fact, it may be the best possible use given the price of gas which rose to $3.42 a gallon yesterday at a nearby station.

The owner says he complied with all laws and regulations and will never give in, and anyone who knows Mark Nickerson also knows that is a formidable threat.

He'll get his horse farm, but this writer can't help but wish he would bless my town with his farm and apply for a permit to Orleans and Brewster to build about eighty affordable units on the Route 39 land.

The neighbors there deserve it.

_________

Below are the recent stories in the local press about both these properties.

• The Chronicle story.
• The Cape Codder story.

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