SunCruz Casinos
Boulis started the SunCruz Casinos boat company in 1994 in Key Largo. It was a cruise line with "cruises to nowhere" as the passengers would gamble on the voyage as the ships would travel out onto international water, where Florida gambling laws were not applicable. Boulis' largest & most profitable gambling boat was docked on the Intracoastal Waterway in Hollywood, Florida, where he had the support of mayor Mara Giulianti. However, Hollywood community beach activists, led by City Commissioner John F. Coleman, strongly opposed the gambling boat operation. Giulianti lobbied to have Boulis finance & build the "Diamond on the Beach" beach hotel, a deal that ultimately fell through. His business drew opposition from other Florida government officials regarding questions on when Boulis attained his American citizenship. The government alleged he purchased some of his SunCruz gambling boats before he became a U.S. citizen. In February 2000, Boulis settled with Federal authorities by agreeing to sell his interest in the SunCruz business within three years and pay a $500,000 fine.
In September 2000, Boulis sold SunCruz to Jack Abramoff and Adam Kidan for $147.5 million. In the deal Boulis kept a silent 10 percent interest, accepting a $20 million promissory note in lieu of the $23 million cash down payment. This transaction later went on to be the focus of a grand jury inquiry. Boulis' relationship with Abramoff and Kidan began to go down hill after the deal. Boulis alleged that Kidan falsified the wire transfer. In December 2000, continued tension between Boulis and Kidan led to a fistfight between the two.
Two months later, on February 6, 2001, Boulis was found shot to death in his car on a Fort Lauderdale street. Anthony Moscatiello and James Fiorillo, both Florida residents, were arrested in late September 2005 in connection with the murder. Anthony Ferrari, who resided in New York, was also detained in connection with the killing.
On August 11, 2005, Abramoff and Kidan were indicted by a federal grand jury in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on fraud charges relating to the disputed $23 million bank transfer used as down payment for the purchase of SunCruz Casinos. Kidan pled guilty on December 15, 2005, Abramoff pled guilty on January 3, 2006.
Read more about this topic: Konstantinos "Gus" Boulis