Dion De Cesare with 900 North Congress Avenue (Google Maps, Broward County, Getty)
A previous operator of a West Palm Seaside hangout who is accused of functioning an unlawful gambling and prostitution ring could finish up shedding $1.6 million in real estate if he’s convicted.
Dion De Cesare, who previously owned Renegades cafe and nightclub, has been slapped with various charges, prompting prosecutors to seek out the forfeiture of 9 of his attributes.
They include homes in West Palm and Riviera Beach front and five models at the Presidential Golfview condominium advanced that sits alongside a golf training course in West Palm, courtroom data demonstrate. Federal authorities also are in search of forfeiture of a pair of Palm Beach County business properties from which De Cesare is accused of operating a prostitution ring, in accordance to a Nov. 17 grand jury indictment.
De Cesare, either on his own or as a result of an affiliate, amassed the properties for just about $1.5 million at a variety of periods because 2002, in accordance to residence data.
A force for the authentic estate forfeiture is a common tactic by the feds, who generally change their sights to properties tied to allegedly prison techniques to recoup illicitly received cash. In South Florida, house to a booming condo and solitary-spouse and children household industry, residential properties have popped up in excess of the several years in many legal schemes, including the Odebrecht and Venezeulan condition-operate PDVSA oil enterprise scandals.
De Cesare is accused of running a sporting activities-betting undertaking through the web site, which takes advantage of a Costa Rica-based mostly server, in accordance to the indictment. Among his co-defendants are Mark Paolantonio and Kelly Lizza, who allegedly helped De Cesare launder proceeds from gambling.
Also billed with laundering proceeds from the sports-betting are Aundre Aarons and Josh Peasley. As a Truist bank (formerly termed BB&T) employee, Aarons allegedly opened bank accounts in the names of Paolantonio and Lizza that ended up then applied to help De Cesare in cleansing the gambling proceeds, according to the indictment. Peasley allegedly opened betting accounts for some others, amassing the proceeds.
Independently, 52-yr-outdated De Cesare also is charged with failing to pay back in complete federal staff taxes from 2011 to 2013 — and then yet again from 2015 to 2016 — for Renegades team associates, the indictment claims. When the IRS began to dip into his accounts to collect what was owed (an allowed follow), De Cesare texted his company husband or wife to transfer cash from one of his accounts to a further, the indictment states.
From 2008 to 2020, De Cesare also operated “houses of prostitution” from his residence at 177 Manchester Lane in unincorporated Palm Beach front County and the adjacent building at 180 North Army Path, according to the indictment. He is the only one particular billed in the alleged prostitution ring.
The other qualities the feds look for to forfeit are De Cesare’s five-bedroom house at 3235 Embassy Push in West Palm and his four-bedroom dwelling at 1043 Big Torch Road in Riviera Seashore, courtroom documents display. The condos are at 1850, 1900, 1950 and 2050 North Congress Avenue.
On Nov. 21, Judge Robin Rosenberg purchased a “restraining” of the houses, meaning they simply cannot be offered, transferred to an additional owner or encumbered with a mortgage loan.
Lawyers for De Cesare, Aarons, Peasley and Lizza have not been appointed. The attorney representing Paolantonio did not instantly return a ask for for remark. Attained by cellular phone, Aarons declined remark, and a person who answered a quantity listed for De Cesare hung up. Phone figures for Peasley and Lizza could not be observed.
De Cesare and Aarons are scheduled for an arraignment on Tuesday, and Paolantonio and Lizza on Dec. 13.
