A brazen Texas con artist posing as a high-ranking CIA agent managed to swindle nearly $20 million from more than 20 friends and colleagues over several years, according to federal prosecutors.
To his upper class friends in Austin, Saint Jovite Youngblood is a cosmopolitan jurist with a master’s degree in quantum physics.
In reality, he was a former used car salesman from Cleveland who never progressed beyond high school.
But the 51-year-old married dad managed to make a long list of associates — some of whom lost everything — and the sprawling scheme stunned federal prosecutors, who called it “epic.”
Born with the decidedly less exotic name of Dennis Schuler, Youngblood befriended many of his wealthy victims in the Austin youth hockey league where his son played.
It was there that he met successful local developer Eric Perardi in 2018. He regaled him with stories from his days as a member of the elite Delta Force, peppering his anecdotes with stories of danger and bravery.
Eric Perardi’s son and his team warm up before a hockey game. Mikala Compton/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK
But the relationship turned sinister when Youngblood – who convinced Perardi that he held CIA approval at the highest level – seriously told his friend that he was being targeted by Mexican drug cartels.
According to federal court papers, Youngblood told Perardi that his ex-wife conspired with narcotics traffickers to cash in on his $6.5 million life insurance policy and that he and his family were in imminent danger.
He also wrote a nasty social media post aimed at Perdardi and told him the cartel was behind them, according to the Austin-American Statesman.
Ricky and Rebecca Kumar were also duped by Youngblood. KVUE
The only way to stop the killers, he said, was through cash payments.
All told, Perardi signed over $821,600 to Youngblood to keep his family safe.
“All I can say is, ‘wow,'” US Magistrate Judge Mark Lane told the defendant at a detention hearing in August, according to The Statesman.
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“The number of lies, the depth of the lies, is beyond anything I’ve ever heard.”
The outlet spoke to another couple who were duped and then seduced by charismatic local fathers, Ricky and Rebecca Kumar.
After tapping into their confidence, Youngblood asks Ricky, an engineer, and Rebecca, the owner of a small gym, for financial help. They would eventually give him $200,000 which he promised to pay back.
Eric Perardi, developer of The Crossover, a sports and entertainment facility in Cedar Park, sits in the lobby on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. Mikala Compton/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK
One volume will deal with an extortion case with his ex-wife, while the other will be to retrieve a valuable family heirloom amid an ownership dispute.
“It’s quite unbelievable that we would do that,” Rebecca Kumar told The Statesman. “You have to understand how he forms his relationship with people and how he tries to continue to build this trust. He is a master storyteller and a great trickster.”
But internally, the Youngblood circle harbors growing suspicions about their larger-than-life friend.
Eric Perardi watched his son’s hockey game at The Crossover sports and entertainment facility in Cedar Park. Mikala Compton/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK
Claiming his federal mission requires caution, he never carries a cell phone and refuses any attempt to take his picture.
Perardi — who ended up having to sell his house because he could no longer afford his mortgage because of Youngblood’s lack of money — ended up doing some digging.
The Kumar family — who lost their children’s college funds to Youngblood — also took a dig at his cover.
Both parties will soon realize that the persona is a tissue of brazen lies. The real Dennis Schuler has a past full of criminal scams, schemes and poor former friends.
Perardi ended up working with federal agents to ensnare Youngblood, wearing a wire during lunch in Austin. Youngblood was recorded telling Perardi that he was still threatened by the cartel – and needed to get out his checkbook again.
Federal investigators said Perardi, an Austin real estate developer, funneled Saint Jovite Youngblood $900,000 that he believed Youngblood used to satisfy the cartel’s demands. Mikala Compton/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK
Agents eventually raid his home, where they find a script he wrote for his wife in case she ever had to deal with law enforcement.
Youngblood – who sold more than $700,000 at a Las Vegas casino during the heist – was charged in August and has a trial date set for April.
“It’s a mixed reaction,” Perardi told The Statesman who was in the courtroom with Youngblood’s other alleged victims.
“You feel stupid, like, ‘How did I let this person rule my life for so long?’ But then I was just disgusted. Only lies and destruction.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
