The wines were marketed by Celebrity Cruises as exclusive, award winning and hand selected by a panel of wine connoisseurs. Wines imported from Australia, France, Italy, Spain, South Africa, and Chile. The appeal? Wines could be delivered directly to your door step regardless of where you live in the country! The average price for a collection of 6 bottles was $450.00 and from 2004 to 2006 well over a million dollars of wine was sold by Celebrity Cruises via a concession agreement with Ocean Vineyard, Wine Auctions at sea. The only problem was the scam, and the fraud behind the gavel! Most of the wines were sold in clear violation of Federal and State laws!
Tom Burell who has spearheaded the investigation has stated emphatically that "Celebrity Cruises willfully and knowingly engaged in partnership with criminal conduct masterminded by Michael Mouyal a convicted telemarketer, and headed by CEO and President Peter K. Lobnig. Connie Lobnig, Patrico Clerici, and Joseph Chiamante were also principals involved with the scheme".
Burell, a former government special investigator, current private investigator and expert on white collar fraud states “the actions engaged in by Celebrity Cruises and Ocean Vineyard amounts to clear cut wire fraud, mail fraud, and tax fraud. All Felonies and in clear violation of Title 18, USC Section 1341, 1342, and 1343 respectively, and all offenses are felonies and punishable by individual fines and imprisonment or both.”
During the time of the fraud, Dietmar R. Wertanzl was the SVP of Celebrity Cruises Fleet Operations, Peter K. Lobnig's long time best friend from Austria, facilitator of the scam, and overseer of the Concession Contract which governed the financial and operational guidelines for Ocean Vineyard. Dietmar is also the best friend of cruise industry multi-millionaire Philip Levine (305-673-9500). Levine was the best man at Dietmar’s wedding; he is a renowned Democratic fund raiser and is a personal friend of former President Bill Clinton.
Our investigation reveals that during the time of this collective fraud, Brooke Patterson (305-539-4002) bpatterson@rccl.com (now Manager of Onboard Revenue for Celebrity Cruises) was the official liaison for Celebrity Cruises and Ocean Vineyard, reporting directly to Dietmar Wertanzl for operational compliance. “Celebrity Cruises participation amounts to criminal ATF offenses”, says Burell. Celebrity Cruises via Dietmar R. Wertanzl’s authority and Brooke Patterson’s supervision reflects willful complicity.
Albert Molina met with Peter K. Lobnig for an initial meeting at Don Shulas restaurant in Miami Lakes in order to discuss the potential of the Wine Auction at Sea enterprise. Subsequently in a bid to buy out Ocean Vineyard purportedly on behalf of Albert Molina, Mick Maspons Esq. (then partner of Carlton Fields Attorneys At Law, currently with Abadin Cook Trial Attorneys, and owner of Maspons funeral home; purportedly operating as a proxy management layer on behalf of Albert Molina of Park West Galleries, another concessionaire for Carnival Cruises) upon standard due diligence of the Ocean Vineyard business , unsuccessfully attempted to gain a tactical negotiating advantage. Mr. Maspons made clear to Mr. Lobnig that the Ocean Vineyard method of operations at that time was illegal. With this awareness Maspons attempted to compel a shrewd buyout of Ocean Vineyard, which CEO of Ocean Vineyard Peter K. Lobnig subsequently refused.
Lobnig prevailed in the show-down by reminding Maspons of the iron clad Non Disclosure and anti Compete agreement endorsed between both parties prior to the exhaustive due diligence process. Reminding Maspons and his team of this agreement eliminated the worry from Peter K. Lobnig of any accidental “leak of information” which could have disrupted the business operation and expose Peter K. Lobnig and his partners to criminal prosecution.
In an unrelated published account, Celebrity Cruises president Daniel J. Hanrahan stated; “Dietmar Wertanzl and Celebrity Cruises mutually agreed to end their association in 2006”. Simon Worgotter (President of Rolling Pin Cruise Magazine former VP of NCL Cruises and best friend of Peter K. Lobnig) stated to an Ocean Vineyard staff member that Dietmar Wertanzl was involved in a long trail of sophisticated embezzlement valued at millions of dollars, the details of which have been internally suppressed; motivated by corporate image preservation and shareholder scrutiny. Confirmed sources reveal that Wertanzl’s departure from Celebrity Cruises had nothing to do with Ocean Vineyard.
Mr. Burell has confirmed that Connie Lobnig was banned from all Celebrity ships via email by Brooke Patterson as a result of continued obnoxious behavior complaints prior to the discontinuation of the Ocean Vineyard business. According to documented accounts, Connie Lobnig had a reputation for being a tyrant and a bully to her Ocean Vineyard staff and Celebrity Cruises staff. “Rude and condescending” was the comment provided by a current crew member who preferred to remain anonymous.
The Ocean Vineyard wine auction at sea concept was the brainchild of Michael Mouyal and implemented by Peter K. Lobnig, Mouyal's close friend. Michael Mouyal pleaded guilty Monday Nov, 20, 2006 to running one of the biggest illegal telemarketing rings ever investigated in Canada. His schemes are believed to have bilked companies and non-profit organizations in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada out of more than $100 million from 1994 to 2001. Mr. Mouyal was also the architect and designer of the Ocean Vineyard telemarketing resale program. This program solicited via telephone onboard wine buyers to re-purchase more wines and to join the Ocean Vineyard wine club.
According to Burell, this conduct was fraudulent telesales and illegal trafficking of alcohol since Ocean Vineyard was a completely unlicensed seller of the wines during this time and processed credit card payments over the telephone.
During a period of sales modifications, Albert Mouyal (elder brother of Michael Mouyal) was dispatched to Celebrity's Galaxy ship to enhance the Ocean Vineyard sales process. Update: (Albert Mouyal was convicted on the morning of February 26, 2008 of bilking American companies out of more than 70 million dollars and is awaiting sentencing)
A confirmed source has indicated that, Patricio Clerici (Ocean Vineyard Corporate officer, major shareholder and Mouyal associate) despite legitimate appearances is also a rumored drug trafficker and money launderer, living in Miami at the Santa Maria Brickell. Among other interest, Mr. Clerici also owns International Cruise Duty Free Inc. ICDFUSA.com and divides his time between Miami and Colombia South America Clerici warehoused the illegally marketed and shipped wines out of the ICDF warehouse facilities in Doral Florida, after compliant shipping agreements were terminated with Ocean Vineyard. Clerici is renown in the Miami area for his collection of Lamborghinis and Ferraris and his taste for Italian yachts. Mr. Clerici was introduced to the Lobnigs’ as a private investment and shipping source by Michael Mouyal.
Joseph Chiamante (Ocean Vineyard major shareholder and longtime friend of Connie Lobnig) also a rumored drug trafficker living in Ft. Lauderdale divides his time between Ft. Lauderdale Florida and Costa Rica, and keeps a relatively low profile.
In fairness to Mr. Clerici and Mr. Chiamante, admittedly these rumors, individual speculations and conjectures are unsubstantiated by evidence. The opinions expressed are those expressed to several senior Ocean Vineyard staff members by Connie Lobnig.
Peter K. Lobnig is also the president of Poseidon International Maritime Inc. which has a multi million dollar a year Food and Beverage contract on the Sea Escape gambling ship, which sails out of Port Everglades Florida. Our investigation proves that Peter K. Lobnig illegally used half a dozen foreign workers from his Sea Escape contract to pack and illegally ship wines, and as his own painting, storage and moving service, all in Federal violation of each individual worker’s employment contract in connection with Sea Escape Entertainment Inc. and Federal immigration laws. According to Burell, this fraud falls under the U.S. Department of State office of the Inspector General (OIG) and provides civil and criminal penalties.
The two prior owners of the Sea Escape gambling ship (Glenn Gallant and Douglas Baetz) were recently sentenced to 10 years in Federal prison for multiple counts of bank fraud and wire fraud valued at over 200 million dollars.
Peter K. Lobnig, Connie Lobnig, and Ocean Vineyard, are able to remain exempt from prosecution, swindle the public, and defraud 3 employees by failing to pay their arrears base salaries as agreed totaling $51,850.00.
All reasonable people would agree that involuntary free labor or work without compensation is a form of slavery. Many months of around the clock labor were gained by Ocean Vineyard and Celebrity Cruises, yet several employees were swindled out of their base compensation by Ocean Vineyard and never paid.
Lobnig claims to have friends in high places. Among friends Lobnig boasts the word “finagle” to describe his underhanded and fraudulent methods. A confirmed source has indicated that Lobnig has demonstrated and boasted of his close ties with CIA, FBI, and Miami PD officer Jeff (305-710-5222) to achieve his standard of “finagling”. Lobnig is also aided by the legal assistance of Gordon C. Watt Esq. another longtime friend and rumored former Ocean Vineyard shareholder and asset.
Further investigations reveal that Peter and Connie Lobnig are also the owners of East Africa Investment Corp. with offices in Miami, Panama, Austria, Addis Ababba and Petro Palm Corp. They reside at the Four Seasons Brickell Avenue Miami. Peter K Lobnig (mobile (305-785-8041) and Cornelia Lobnig mobile (305-298-1414) 1425 Brickell Ave Suite 47-B Miami Fl 33131.
Burell states that although Ocean Vineyard ceased operations in 2006 the statue of limitations for the alleged criminal offences indicated remains 5 to 7 years; accordingly all are currently vulnerable to federal and state prosecution.
Celebrity Cruises recently celebrated it's third year at number one in the prestigious Conde Nast Travelers Annual Readers Poll, for the Top Cruise Ships in the world category. With this distinct reputation, it is difficult to imagine some of it's recent strange concessionaire partners.
PT-2: Celebrity Cruises the best in the world! The outing of a rogue CIA agent another convict, and how they all came together!
PT-3 Connie Lobnig's Secret Drug addiction on the high seas, and the end of Ocean Vineyard.
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