Good old-fashioned police work by a Boulder sheriff’s deputy led to the arrest last month of an old-fashioned con man hiding out in the Dominican Republic.
Detective Brian Zierlein first heard about Joseph A. Zant more than two years ago, when a friend of Zant’s complained that Zant had borrowed about $300,000 from him and skipped town. Another friend had a similar story, Zierlein said, and soon an investigation was underway.
Authorities estimate that Zant borrowed more than $1 million from at least six acquaintances and possibly more.
“He was like an old-fashioned con artist,” Zierlein said. “He’d develop good relationships, borrow some money from them, spend it and then go to somebody else. He’d borrow again, pay the last guy back a little and keep going.”
Zierlein used some traditional shoe-leather detective work, working the case since January 2006. He got Zant’s bank records, which contained pages and pages of bounced checks. He called here, called there, talked to Zant’s friends. Nothing turned up.
He learned that Zant owned a business in Longmont, the Boulder Creek Furniture store, which hadn’t been doing very well. In fact, Longmont authorities have a warrant out for Zant involving his store. Larimer County authorities would like to talk to him as well.
Zierlein started checking for passports but nothing turned up for months. A while back, he contacted a friend in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who used the department’s resources as well as those at the U.S. Marshals Service.
“They really stepped up. I was impressed,” Zierlein said.
Late last month, they spotted Zant’s passport in the Dominican Republic. He was arrested, then extradited to Miami, where he is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.
“Next week, I’m taking a flight to Miami to bring him back to Boulder,” Zierlein said. “It will be good to close this case.”
Mike McPhee: 303-954-1409 or mmcphee@denverpost.com
