Past Stuart Air Show president, military museum founder Michael Roberts charged with theft

STUART — A businessman who recently stepped down from a leading role at the Stuart Air Show was arrested on a theft charge after allegations he took $11,000 from a military vehicle preservation association, according to an official and records obtained this week.

Michael Anthony Roberts, 59, of the 1500 block of Southeast Fifth Street in Stuart, was arrested March 2 on a felony grand theft charge.

In court papers filed last week by attorney David Golden, Roberts pleaded not guilty.

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Roberts is past president of the Stuart Air Show and founder of the Road to Victory Military Museum in downtown Stuart.

The case began in November when the president and treasurer of the First Florida Chapter of Military Vehicle Preservation Association, identified as David Thomas and Stanley Kinmonth, respectively, contacted Martin County sheriff’s investigators.

Roberts was identified as the past treasurer. A new treasurer, Kinmonth, was elected in July 2017. The president said that in early July, he tried to get some money from the club account for expenses. There was a balance of less than $70, but there should have been at least $10,000.

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The current treasurer found three checks made out to cash in March 2017 signed by Roberts totaling $7,500. He said he also found additional money taken out by Roberts.

A total of four checks for $11,000 were identified in an affidavit for a warrant for Roberts' arrest.

The new treasurer told investigators Roberts “would give him one excuse after another, about the missing money including the account had been ‘hacked,’” the affidavit said.

The new treasurer said the bank confirmed the account hadn’t been “hacked.”

After confronting Roberts again, the new treasurer said Roberts “changed the story.”

“He stated he had his office manager handle all the club’s funds and that she had been moving money around,” the affidavit said.

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The new treasurer said Roberts owns Special Forces Construction in Jensen Beach.

A message left there Tuesday was not returned.

Messages left with attorney Golden Monday and Tuesday were not returned.

Records showed Roberts has no previous criminal history.

In February, Roberts met with a sheriff’s investigator to review copies of the checks.

“I am not going to deny that this money didn’t go into my account,” he was quoted as saying.

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Roberts said he was “having an affair with his office manager who was handling his accounts and he believes she cashed the checks but was not sure.”

Susan Cunnane, executive director of the Stuart Air Show, said Roberts is the former air show president and he had stepped down last week. Asked whether the arrest was the reason he was no longer president, she said, “Michael Roberts stepped down from the presidency for personal reasons.”

Cunnane said the new air show president is Amy Bottegal, who has worked with theshow for at least a decade in a variety of roles. Most recently, she was the vice president.

Cunnane said all the board of directors are volunteer positions.

Cunnane said she had no comment on whether she thought Roberts’ arrest would impact the air show, which is scheduled in November.

“All I can say is we’ve got a great show for 2018,” she said.

The arrest of Roberts comes within a month of the arrest of recently retired Indian River County Fire Rescue Assistant Chief Brian Burkeen. Burkeen was charged with one count of grand theft and five counts of dealing in stolen property "to the tune of nearly $300,000" by purchasing tires from Vero Beach Goodyear stores and reselling them for cash on the black market.