Development lawsuit complicated by YouTube video

Fred DeLuca and Anthony Pugliese
Fred DeLuca and Anthony Pugliese

Subway’s owner and Delray Beach developer Anthony Pugliese are squaring up for a court battle over $1.2 million that was allegedly stolen from a planned development south of Yeehaw Junction. The case case may hinge on a YouTube video, however.

An “expose” on Subway owner Fred DeLuca was posted on YouTube. The video makes it appear that DeLuca used undue influence and made-up paperwork to influence former Palm Beach County State Attorneys Michael McAuliffe and Peter Antonacci into charging Pugliese and Reamer with fraud, according to the Palm Beach Post.

The individual who posted the video has not been identified.

DeLuca’s attorney claims that the conversation was recorded without their consent, a felony in Florida.

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A judge has already ruled to bar the video from the civil case. However, Circuit Judge David Crow decided that he will watch the video himself before determining whether to allow defense attorneys to look at the footage.

The dispute between Pugliese and DeLuca began when plans for a $140 million, 41,000-acre community called Destiny fell through. Pugliese later admitted that he created fake companies and phony invoices to get DeLuca to make payments for the failed development. [Palm Beach Post] Christopher Cameron

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified Pugliese as the person who posted the YouTube video of DeLuca. As noted above, the individual who posted the video has not been identified.