Feds say they found fraudster’s ‘Battle Plan’ for escaping U.S.

SHARE Feds say they found fraudster’s ‘Battle Plan’ for escaping U.S.
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Henry Meyer is an alleged fraudster who once boasted that explaining his European investment plan would be like trying to teach someone the Chinese language.

Now, the feds say they have good reason to keep him locked up until he goes to trial — because he wrote out a so-called “Battle Plan” for escaping the United States but left it in his home where federal agents easily found it.

Not only did Meyer list possible sites for an “international escape” in his typed, two-page to-do list, he reminded himself to buy new clothing and even “execute grooming session just before travel.”

“Seldom are there cases where defendant’s intent to escape the United States and evade law enforcement is so clearly delineated and outlined,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Sunil R. Harjani wrote in a filing that asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Young B. Kim to keep Meyer behind bars. A detention hearing is set for Friday afternoon.

Meyer was arrested last month in Coral Gables, Fla., and recently arrived at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, prosecutors say. A criminal complaint filed April 4 alleges Meyer may have lost at least $4 million belonging to clients who invested in Meyer’s “European Derivative Investment Program.”

The feds say they searched Meyer’s home the day of his arrest and discovered the “Battle Plan.” The first half of the document details Meyer’s plan to put his hands on more money. But in the second half, he reminded himself to “obtain passport before or just after Easter” and “start doing research on countries to escape to if necessary.” He made notes about “ease of assimilation,” access to the Internet and his financial software, and “extradition?”

He sketched out his plan for “domestic relocation for first 3 weeks of April” in Vero Beach or Greenville, S.C. And then he mused about “an international escape location at end of April” either in the Bahamas, Thailand, Singapore, Korea, Australia or New Zealand.

He wrote to “think about what you will need for international escape . . . consider final actions needed to take before leaving . . . notifications and calming actions.” And then he gave himself some key reminders.

Meyer told himself to “maintain workout & diet program until travel,” to “maintain apartment cleaning and maintenance right up to travel” and to “execute normal weekly errands until travel,” as well as his grooming session.

And in case he forgot, he wrote at the bottom, “New clothing: Jeans, shoes & socks.”

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