The founder of a yoga company accused of posing as an FBI agentthen assaulting and threatening to kill employees at a Boulder web-design firm was charged Wednesday with 14 criminal counts.
Daniel Shea, 45, of Oregon, was charged with first-degree burglary, attempted aggravated robbery, extortion, impersonating an officer, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of second-degree assault, two counts of third-degree assault and two counts of felony menacing.
According to an arrest affidavit, two workers at the Goozmo web-design firm in Boulder were in their office at 1645 Canyon Blvd. on Friday when they took a meeting with a man who identified himself only as “Davy.”
The two men told police that Shea then entered the building dressed in a “FBI uniform” — described as a raid vest with tactical gear, including a Taser, a knife and a gun in a holster — and along with Davy cuffed the two men.
The two Goozmo employees said Shea had contracted them for a project involving his company, Yogible, which describes itself as a yoga travel and teaching company.
According to the affidavit, Shea said the $30,000 he spent on the project had “ruined his life,” and demanded Goozmo repay him. The two men told police Shea used a stun gun on them and threatened them with both a handgun and a knife — and said he’d hired people to kill their families.
Shea demanded $50,000 from the men — $30,000 to reimburse him for the project and $20,000 to pay for the men he claimed he’d hired to watch their families and “hurt or kill them if they went to the police,” according to the affidavit.
Shea appeared for Wednesday’s hearing in custody at the Boulder County Jail, where he is being held on a $1 million bond. He’s scheduled for a preliminary hearing on March 8.
The Daily Camera was denied access to photograph Shea at the jail after his attorney, Emily Briggs, raised the possibility that the second suspect at large and the hitmen Shea allegedly hired posed a security risk.
“Based on the information counsel has at this point, those unnamed individuals also remain at large,” Briggs wrote. “Allowing the press to take photographs of Mr. Shea (and his jail garb) will only serve to publicize the fact that Mr. Shea remains in custody and (sic) the jail and may convey information (based on his jail garb) pertaining to the specific module within the jail in which he is being house. The publication of such information may be harmful to Mr. Shea’s safety and well-being within the jail.”
Following the objection by Briggs, Boulder County Judge Elizabeth Brodsky denied a motion filed by the Camera to have a camera in the jail courtroom.
“The court gives significant weight to the issues surrounding security and identification,” Brodsky wrote in her ruling.
However, Boulder police spokeswoman Laurie Ogden said that Shea told police he did not actually hire any hitmen, and police do not believe there is a threat to the families of the alleged victims.
Police are, however, still searching for the suspect only identified as “Davy.” He is described as a white male in his late 20s or early 30s standing 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighing 180 pounds with dark hair.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Boulder police at 303-441-3330. Those who wish to remain anonymous may contact the Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or nococrimestoppers.com.
Source:-dailycamera
