Strodtman held on $12 million bond

GREELEY, Colo. — More than six months after a grand jury indictment, a spot on “America’s Most Wanted” and a stay in Mexico, Mark Strodtman appeared in Weld District Court Wednesday morning and had his bond set at $12 million.

Strodtman, 46, whose company successfully annexed nearly 18 acres on Orchard Mesa into the city of Grand Junction in June, was indicted in March by a Weld County grand jury on pattern of racketeering as defined by the Colorado Organized Crime Control act, 11 counts of theft of $15,000 or more and 11 counts of forgery.

Facing up to 189 years in prison if convicted, Weld District Judge Marcelo Kopcow on Wednesday said the high bond was called for because Strodtman was aware he was wanted by authorities and did not return to the United States on his own.

Prosecutors told Kopcow they estimated Strodtman’s net worth at around $103 million and argued he was a flight risk considering he did not return from Playa Del Carmen, where he was living when the indictment came through.

Defense attorney David Kaplan said that Strodtman was just trying to get his businesses organized prior to facing the charges. Kaplan asked for a $300,000 bond at most, which elicited laughter from prosecutor Christian Schulte, saying a $12 million bond is in essence a no bond.

In April 2007, more than 20 homeowners said Strodtman and his associates from JS Real Estate LLC allegedly tricked them into buying homes out of their price range by falsifying documentation to approve their loans, according to the grand jury indictment.

Strodtman was arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border by FBI agents in late September on state and federal warrants.

Strodtman’s company, The Shores LLC, successfully annexed to the city some 18 acres on Orchard Mesa near the historic Old Spanish Trail, despite protests from neighbors of the project.

A development application has not been filed.