STRATEGIC PARTNERS
January 15, 2002
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Christopher LaCroix, the man who admitted he took money stolen by New Jersey ATM serviceman Michael Schwartz, will plead guilty to a count of possessing stolen property, according to an Associated Press report.
LaCroix, 36, of West Palm Beach, agreed at a Jan. 15 bond hearing to remain at the Palm Beach County Jail until he can be extradited to New Jersey for a plea hearing and sentencing. He likely will sign a plea agreement on Jan. 16 after details are finalized, said his attorney, Jack Fleischman.
The charge carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence, but Fleischman expects LaCroix to serve between 20 and 40 months in prison.
LaCroix admitted taking $3.5 million from Schwartz's van after he died in LaCroix's apartment Christmas Day following a two-week drinking binge, authorities said.
Schwartz allegedly stole $5 million from ATMs he was supposed to stock in New York and New Jersey before fleeing to Florida and renting a room from LaCroix in early December.
FBI agents recovered a duffel bag filled with $20 bills during a search late last week of a self-storage unit. While it has not yet been machine-counted for an exact amount, the FBI estimated the amount at $500,000.
Agents searched the unit after striking a deal last week with LaCroix. According to Fleischman, if his client told where the rest of the money was, the evidence seized would not be used against him.
Authorities had previously recovered about $3 million from an abandoned Boynton Beach home and $68,000 from a safe deposit box in LaCroix's name. The latest find in the storage unit still leaves more than $1 million of the stolen money unaccounted for.
Fleischman said the FBI now has all of the money LaCroix took. "What anyone else did with the money, I don't know. I don't know what Schwartz did on his way to living with LaCroix," he said.
