A private boat dock. A pool and spa. Bayside views.
The $6.6 million home on Marco Island, Florida, is now the target of an asset forfeiture that federal prosecutors in Indiana are pursuing against Westfield developer Andy Card. The July 16 forfeiture filing came on the same day FBI agents raided his office and home in Indiana. He has not been charged with a crime.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Indiana argue Card purchased the Marco Island home with funds earmarked for the development of a city of Mishawaka fieldhouse project in 2023. He is accused of diverting approximately $2.2 million from the project and gifting the money to his wife, Martha, to finance the down payment on the home and to pay an agent to close the real estate transaction.
In a statement, Card said he’s hoping to be vindicated.
Here’s a look at the home and what we know about the property:
Resort-style living on Florida’s Gulf Coast
The Cards snagged the custom built, single-family residence at 488 Richards Court for $6.6 million in 2023.
According to records from the Collier County Property Appraiser, the two-story stucco house, which spans 4,553-square-feet and sits at the end of a cul-de-sac, has four bedrooms and six bathrooms.
Listings of the house on real estate sites such as Realtor.com and Zillow.com highlight the home’s walk-in closets, breakfast bar, double vanities, outdoor pool and spa, patio with a built-in barbecue, stacked stone fireplace, smart technology, walk-in pantry with full-height wine fridge, attached two-car garage, and private boat dock with direct access to Collier Bay.
Expansive picturesque views of the bay are offered in nearly every room. The property’s location provides easy access to the Gulf of Mexico, renamed by the U.S. government as Gulf of America, and Big Marco River.
Photos of the property taken on July 21 show a powerboat and two jet skis docked behind the home.
Where is Marco Island?
Marco Island is located in Collier County, Florida. The barrier island, which the state’s official tourism website Visit Florida describes as “part coastal resort, part fishing village,” is about 20 miles south of Naples on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
It’s the largest and most developed barrier island of Florida’s Ten Thousand Islands. It’s known for white-sand beaches, eco-tourism, outdoor and aquatic sports, dining, unique shopping and a vibrant art scene.
Why are federal prosecutors trying to take the house?
Construction on the $38 million Mishawaka Fieldhouse took place between 2023 and 2024. The city funded the work with a community impact grant and bond-backed tax increment financing. It hired Card and his development company, Card & Associates, to build the facility.
In a legal filing to seize the property, federal prosecutors detail the alleged fraud scheme they say Card used to syphon money from the project, intended to become a regional sports destination.
They said Card made multiple requests for funds to cover construction-related expenses that were “materially false, and made with the intent to defraud the city of Mishawaka and others.”
Those construction dollars ― which were only supposed to be used for the project ― would later find their way to Card’s wife, Martha, for the purchase of the waterfront house on Marco Island.
Prosecutors say Martha was the sole applicant for a nearly $4 million mortgage loan on the home. As part of the application, Martha needed an initial down payment of $1.5 million and $1.2 million at close.
In two letters included in the property’s mortgage records, Card gifted his wife $1 million toward the initial down payment on August 2023, and more than $1.2 million to be paid to the title company at close. Prosecutors say the funds were proceeds disbursed to cover expenses for the Mishawaka Fieldhouse.
Prosecutors alleged the gift letters were designed to conceal the source of the money. In the court filing, prosecutors said “those funds were derived from the fraud scheme and should have been used solely to pay project costs.”
Since the house is property that can be traced to the scheme, it’s subject to civil forfeiture, prosecutors argued.
Card has not formally responded to the legal filing. He addressed the accusations for the first time publicly in a statement issued over the weekend.
“Nothing is more important than the health and happiness of my family,” he said. “I am, however, temporarily relinquishing control of the development division at Card and Associates and will manage operations (as CEO) for current facilities only. My professional reputation is paramount to me. I am hopeful I will be fully vindicated.”
Contact IndyStar investigative reporter Alexandria Burris at aburris@indystar..com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @allyburris.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Here’s the $6.6M home the Feds want to seize from developer Andy Card
Reporting by Alexandria Burris, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Alexandria Burris, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
