On Tuesday, 18 April 2017 21:29:01 UTC-4, wrote:
Update on Mihai Tanjala's status:

Mihai Tanjala, founder of the infamous "Two and a Quarter", is currently serving life in prison in a Romanian Supermax in a solitary confinement cell. Convicted on fraud on a large scale, was sentenced to 5 years, then became a fugitive living in Florida while owning/operating the Seminole Lake Gliderport, only to be deported and fled again to Jamaica.

The total assets that he has stolen are now estimated around 200 Million dollars. He was part of a well known group called the Moneco's who stole mainly real estate by using their status in the Romanian Government for nearly a decade totaling almost a billion dollars between multiple members in this group.

Each piece of real estate is being taken back by the Romanian legal system and returned to their rightful owners. Seminole Lake Gliderport is low on the list.

He had remained unknown until authorities in Romania discovered the website updated to show his whereabouts st the gliderport with pictures and information about him. These photos made national news. So many Romanians were extremely angered seeing him fly helicopters and gliders with ill gotten financial gains.

Justice has been served to him and each person in his group.

As a long time snowbird customer of SLGP (15 years), I really have no interest in the legal struggles of Mihai, the owner; I am interested in SLGP as an FBO. And it is superb!

During Mihai's evasion and then arrest and incarceration, the field has been lavished with attention and affection by many of the customers, and most notably, Karen (landscaper extraordinaire), and I've never seen it look so good. Rich has overseen the on-the-ground management, and the prices are reasonable, the tugs in the best shape ever, and the field is located in a magic nexus of great soaring weather. The 'regulars' are a lot like the club members of my home field, and I'm proud that they are my friends.

The ownership is complicated, split I think, into land and FBO, and I think that the government of Romania, should it ever turn its attention to recovering this asset, will find it complicated, but strategically stupid to do anything to reduce its value as a functional FBO and soaring center for Eastern North American pilots in the winter season.

I hope that the operational status is unaffected; I intend to fly there for many years to come. You should consider doing the same.

Soaring is more pleasurable than schadenfreude!