We all anticipated many problems and even personal devastation due to the downward spiral of the economy. Throw some greed into the mix, and you come up with the likes of Bernard Madoff and now Marcus Schrenker, who attempted to fake his suicide and then tried unsuccessfully to follow through with what might’ve been a sincere attempt after the fake attempt failed. Sound confusing? Yeah, well…

The happenings over the past couple of days are a culmination of numerous lawsuits filed by investors who trusted this man with their life savings, accusations of his working as an adviser

Marcus Schrenker

without the proper licensing and an imminent divorce, partially due to extramarital affairs. He’s been called a pathological liar, a thief and a narcissist. He’s been accused of stealing retirement funds and kept monies due to insurance companies.

Once the gap began closing in behind him and he was served both divorce papers and a judgment that ordered him to repay over $500,000 to one company he defrauded - all within a week’s time, he made the decision to plan an elaborate escape that would appear to be a suicide. It might have been a bold move, except for the fact the execution of this scheme wasn’t perfect. He sent a “woe is me” email to a friend prior to his leaving Indiana and said that he’d embarrassed his family for the last time. The friend was concerned and turned the email over to Indiana police. His second mistake was sending out a distress signal just south of Birmingham, AL. When planes approached his, while still flying, in attempts to rescue him, they discovered a pilot-less plane that had been set to auto-pilot. The open door on the plane was probably a giveaway, I would think. The plane crashed close to the Alabama-Florida state line and it was nothing short of a miracle that the plane, when it crashed, didn’t kill someone on the ground. That was a huge risk he took with absolutely no consideration to the damage a wayward plane could potentially have to people who’d never even heard of him. Then again, his selfishness allowed him to bring pain to people he knows and loves; one can’t expect any considerations for perfect strangers. This was clearly not a last minute whim since he’d already hid a motorcycle in Alabama for the last leg of his escape. He was caught Tuesday night in Chattahoochee. He was found in his tent shortly after he tried to slit his wrists and was taken to a hospital, where he remains.

He now stands to be charged with countless other crimes in more than one state, since he was captured in Alabama and because his plane crashed in Florida, authorities will now have to decide whether to charge him with some kind of negligence or worse. Just a guess, but my money’s on his being a lonely soul right about now. He’s burned his marriage, destroyed his career and betrayed even his closest friends…all in his quest for money.