In 1994
Gus Boulis, already a multi-millionaire by founding the
Miami Subs sandwich shop franchise, bought a number of luxury yachts. He remodeled the yachts as casinos, and began to operate his "cruises to nowhere," sailing three miles from the
Florida coast into what was then considered international waters. There, out on the sea, passengers would gamble on
poker,
blackjack and
slot machines. Boulis called his fleet of 11 ships the SunCruz Casino line. By the time he sold the company in 2000, SunCruz Casinos was earning tens of millions of dollars in annual profits, and employed over 2,000 people. In September 2007, SunCruz discontinued operation at Palm Beach. Service was subsequently discontinued at Daytona and Treasure Island.
Investigation In the 2000s, lobbyists such as
Jack Abramoff became involved illegally with the sale of the line. Boulis was murdered in 2001.
Bankruptcy and reorganization Following the death of Gus Boulis in 2001 and the subsequent legal investigations into the company's sale, SunCruz Casinos and its parent entities filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Southern District of Florida (Case No. 01-23150-RBR). The reorganization was managed by
Berger Singerman as lead debtor's counsel, with
Paul Steven Singerman serving as lead attorney. The Creditors' Committee was represented by
Kluger, Peretz, Kaplan & Berlin under lead counsel
Robert P. Charbonneau. The multi-year proceedings involved complex litigation over maritime liens and creditor priorities, with various South Florida legal teams, including the
Law Office of Mark S. Roher, P.A., representing stakeholders and managing claims throughout the asset recovery and liquidation process. ==See also==