Davie man accused of stealing from his two fiancees

Jon Burstein

South Florida Sun Sentinel

6:22 p.m. EDT, August 12, 2009

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BROWARD COUNTY - A Davie man who got engaged to two women within a matter of weeks not only stole his fiancees' hearts, but their money as well, authorities said.

rancois, 55, used his charm to take more than $387,000 from the two women who believed they were going to spend the rest of their lives with him, according to a Broward Sheriff's Office arrest affidavit.

Deputies arrested Francois on Wednesday morning, booking him in the Broward County Jail on two counts of first-degree grand theft and one count of organized scheme to defraud.

The women only learned about each other after he drained their bank accounts and intimidated them when they asked for their money back, court records show.

"He's preying on lonely women — he's preying on their hopes, dreams and desires," said Joe Pappacoda, an attorney who is representing both women.

Rose Marie Anglade, 50, said Francois swept her off her feet in June 2007 when she met him in South Florida while vacationing from New York. Within two months, he persuaded her to sell her home in Queens, quit her job as a dental assistant and come down to Miramar with her 18-year-old daughter, she said.

When she arrived, Francois drove her straight from Miami International Airport to a Boca Raton bank, and got her to withdraw $20,000 that he said would be used to buy them a home in Miramar, according to court documents. At Francois' insistence, they also opened a joint bank account, in which she deposited $228,122, court documents show.

Francois drained that bank account and when she pressed him about it, he hit her and gave her a black eye, according to court records.

Anglade said she is now penniless, jobless and facing imminent foreclosure in the Miramar home.

"He took everything," Anglade said. "He has no heart. He wants to put me out on the street."

The second woman — Sheila Brissault — met Francois in June 2007 through his brother, a New York City cab driver, court records show. Brissault, 43, also a single mother, said Francois sweet-talked her into getting married on their second date.

He persuaded her to take out a $100,000 home equity loan on her house in Elmont, N.Y., and took the money, she said. He then started demanding that she sell the home, but told her that he didn't want her to move to Florida, Brissault said.

When she didn't sell the house, Francois broke up with her, and threatened to kill her and her children when she demanded her money back, she said.

"He broke my heart," she said.

Broward Sheriff's detective John Calabro, who handled the case, said he believes there may be more women who have been victimized by Francois.

"What's amazing about this is the cold-heartedness and the ensuing threats," he said.

Francois, who is also listed in court records as Clement Francois, was arrested at a home on the 13800 block of Chathan Place in Davie. He was being held in lieu of a $125,000 bond.