A judge has issued a warrant for a man who prosecutors said threatened and demanded $1 million from billionaire Palm Beach resident Steve Wynn.
According to court records, 43-year-old Michael Alexander Loizias failed to show up as required for his scheduled hearing on May 14, prompting Palm Beach County Judge James Nutt to revoke Loizias’ $40,000 bond and call for him to be taken into custody.
A notice mailed to the Sanford address on file for Loizias to notify him of the hearing was returned as undeliverable, records show.
The Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office on March 12 formally charged Loizias with threats or extortion, a felony, court records show. He pleaded not guilty.
According to court records, Loizias is represented by the Palm Beach County Public Defender’s Office, which as a policy does not comment on open cases.
Wynn is a real estate investor and former resort and casino owner whose primary residence is a 2.79-acre estate on South Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach. He lives there with his wife of nearly 15 years, Andrea.
Palm Beach Police arrested Loizias on Feb. 9 after they said he sent a pair of packages containing threatening letters to Wynn’s home on the island. The packages, which arrived at Wynn’s estate on Jan. 30, were mailed from Sanford, police said.
“I am not a nice man. I am not your friend,” Loizias wrote in one letter, according to the arrest report. “This situation is going to get very bad for you quickly. I know where you live.” Loizias also wrote that he lived hear Orlando and would visit Wynn soon, according to the arrest report.
In another letter received by Wynn on Feb. 5, Loizias demanded $1 million by March 2, police said.
Loizias had previously threatened Wynn in dozens of emails in 2023, where Loizias included Wynn’s Las Vegas address and told Wynn to send money via Bank of America, the arrest report said.
Wynn’s net worth is $3.9 billion, according to Forbes.com. He co-founded and is the former chairman and CEO of Las Vegas-based Wynn Resorts. He owns Wynn Fine Art on Worth Avenue and has bought, renovated and sold several investment properties in Palm Beach.
Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Warrant for man charged with trying to extort billionaire Steve Wynn
Reporting by Kristina Webb, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Post
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