A husband and wife who fled Colorado before standing trial last year have been arrested after being deported from the Bahamas, federal officials said Friday.
Donald Winberg, 44, and Karlien Winberg, 33, were arrested at Miami International Airport on Thursday on charges of bond violations in Colorado, U.S. Attorney John Walsh and FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas Ravenelle said in a news release.
The couple originally were indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver in April 2014. Shortly before their trial in U.S. District Court, the couple committed alleged bond violations and fled.
Beginning in 2010, the Winbergs advertised hay and corn for sale online. Once buyers contacted them, they would negotiate sales and collect money, but no products were ever delivered, the release said.
“(The) defendants claimed to buyers that they owned extensive farmland in Idaho and Texas, that they produced hay, straw, potatoes and other agricultural crops in substantial quantities … and that they had trucks to deliver the large quantities of purchased hay or corn to the buyer,” the Department of Justice said.
After fleeing Colorado, warrants were issued for the Winbergs’ arrest in October 2014.
The couple spent time in Texas, where they purchased a boat and traveled to the Bahamas. Bahamian officials arrested the couple, traveling with their seven children, after a Louisiana family recognized them.
The couple face one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. If convicted, they could be sentenced to up to 20 years in federal prison and fined up to $250,000.
