Multimillionaire’s Bonkers Plan to Escape Florida Jail for French Castle Thwarted
A 78-year-old multimillionaire orchestrated a sprawling plot to bust out of a Florida jail, putting together a team of people to help him flee to France and escape child pornography charges, according to local authorities.
John Manchec’s alleged plan was laid out by Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers at a Monday news conference. Flowers explained that the escape attempt had revolved around an April 12 doctor’s appointment, but that a tipster—one of the people allegedly recruited to help Manchec escape—had alerted deputies ahead of time.
“Essentially, the plan comes down to this,” Flowers said, according to the Associated Press. “These folks that are on the outside are going to wait until Manchec has a doctor’s visit, and they are going to take out our corrections staff while he’s out at the medical facility.”
Manchec, a businessman who made his fortune in aeronautic sun protection technology, had at least four co-conspirators, two of whom were his employees, Flowers said. An investigation of Manchec’s jail phone records revealed he referred to the escape plan as the “paint job” when speaking on the phone with them.
The other two plotters were fellow inmates at the Indian River County Jail, Flowers said. One of the inmates, Byron Harvey, had his bail posted by Manchec, and was allowed to live in the millionaire’s house as they prepared for the escape. Harvey was tasked with packing Manchec’s suitcase, including his favorite liquor, according to the sheriff.
The team were supposed to pepper-spray Manchec’s guards and spirit him away to a private plane that would be waiting to fly him “back to his castle in France,” Flowers said. A 140-foot yacht and a variety of other vehicles purchased just for the scheme were also going to be utilized.
But Manchec himself put a stop to the plot after the plan’s final confederate, inmate Kerry Shephard, had an unspecified medical incident, Flowers said. Shephard “had to be taken out and [Manchec] said, you know, ‘Stop, we’re not going to do this,’ because he was too hinked up about the entire thing,” the sheriff explained.
By that point, authorities had already been investigating the plan for close to two months, and had accumulated the evidence to charge Manchec with additional counts related to the scheme. His four associates were also arrested and charged with conspiracy.
“This was the real deal,” Flowers said.
Manchec, who is a citizen of both the United States and France, was originally arrested in 2014 on 49 counts of possession of child pornography. Soon after, he paid a $500,000 bail and fled to southern France, where he owns a medieval property called the Château de Pechrigal, according to Flowers.
After authorities were unable to get Manchec extradited from France, he was eventually arrested during a visit to the Dominican Republic in 2020.
Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now.
Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.
