The retired doctor who was arrested aboard his yacht this week with guns, drugs and prostitutes allegedly on board lived a life of tightly controlled luxury in a private Key Largo enclave.
Scott Burke, 69, resides at the ultra-exclusive Ocean Reef Club, where members who shell out tens of millions of dollars for beautiful beachfront homes are assured that “prying eyes” are not welcome.
“One of the great features of a private club like Ocean Reef is privacy,” reads its website. “Many of our members can come with their families and feel that they are at home, away from prying eyes and curious onlookers.”
Locals say members isolate themselves in the enclave and are sheltered from the world outside its fortified gates.
“They have more money than God’s fear out there and they act like they can do whatever they want,” a longtime local familiar with Ocean Reef Club operations told The Post.
“It’s like billionaires arguing … People come here and they think there are no rules so they do stupid things,” the source added.
Scott Burke pleaded not guilty in Plymouth District Court this week.Boston Globe via Getty Images
The exclusive Ocean Reef Club enclave in Key Largo, Florida.Getty Images
Married father-of-two Burke’s privacy strings were suddenly stepped on in the distant waters of Nantucket Harbor last Wednesday when police boarded his 82-foot vessel, the Jess Conn, after a woman called police and said she had overdosed on drugs and wanted to get off the boat.
Responding officers found several firearms on board – along with cocaine, ketamine and prostitutes, according to reports.
Burke was arrested and faces several criminal charges in Plymouth District Court.
Key Largo locals say Burke may be used to the almost supernatural conditions in his Florida community, where participants are subject to strict security checks.
Burke was arrested after police boarded his 82-foot yacht. Nantucket Current
“You have to get your fingerprints there,” said a local worker. “It’s too much.”
Featuring a private airport — along with a marina and three “championship” golf courses — Ocean Reef attracts the global elite from Kuwait to New York City, sources told The Post.
“That’s an isolated place,” said the boat mechanic. “I can’t go there even if the owner invites me to go to the bar because of the club’s rules. If you don’t live there, then forget it.”
He noted that many “weird people” live in the community.
Burke lives in an exclusive gated community in Key Largo.Facebook/Ellen Burke
“You don’t see families living there,” he said. “You see guys like that – people with private jets. They party for a week, then leave.”
Getting clearance, he said, can sometimes take a full week — and visitors are escorted from the gate to their destination by security.
“The way they’re protected, nobody can knock on your door,” he said. “No surprises.”
A Post reporter who requested access to the community was told to walk away from the short pier.
Key Largo locals say Burke may have grown accustomed to near-invisibility in his Florida community. Boston Globe via Getty Images
“So unfortunately they’re not expecting you,” he was told. “Even though I called them for permission, they didn’t want you to come to the house.”
The mechanic said he had long suspected the club’s residents of questionable activities behind their insular walls, though he had no evidence of any specific wrongdoing.
“I’m not surprised at all,” he said. “I knew there was something suspicious there. If you ask anyone, you know there’s something fishy there.”
Confined luxury at the Ocean Reef Club comes at a high price.
A six-bed, 10-bathroom Ocean Reef home is on the market for $35 million.
Burke was arrested in Nantucket Harbor.Corbis via Getty Images
Burke’s property in the enclave is also the listed address for his wife, Ellen, and grown children Jessica and Connor.
The family also has a home in Englewood, Colorado.
“Ocean Reef Club offers a rich tradition that spans generations and a membership that has always attracted entrepreneurs who value spending time with family,” says Sotheby’s website.
Requests for comment from the Ocean Reef Club were not immediately returned.
Burke pleaded not guilty to gun possession and drug possession at a hearing this week, the Boston Globe reported.
It is unclear if he has posted bail.
Police arrested Burke after receiving a call from a woman who said she was overweight and wanted out Jess Conn. Nantucket Current
Records show he was first licensed to practice medicine in Colorado in 1981, and his license expires in 2021, at which point he is considered retired.
Previously, Burke operated a spine and rehabilitation clinic and founded a medical insurance company about two decades ago, according to the Boston Globe.
The outlet also reported that its yacht Nordhvn 2021 first arrived in Nantucket on August 23 from Newport and is registered in the Cayman Islands.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
