Pinellas Man Pleads Guilty In Fraud Case Naming Trump, Epstein

NORTH REDINGTON SHORES, FL — A North Redington Beach man has pleaded guilty in a case involving a fake pardon from former President Donald Trump, land owned by the late New York financier and sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein and the hiring of a hitman to kill two government witnesses prepared to testify against him.

In one case pending before U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven, Alexander Dean Lesczcynski, 24, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering.

In a second case pending before U.S. District Judge James Moody, Lesczcynski pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire and obstruction of justice.

Lesczcynski faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison in the fraud case, and up to 10 years in prison in the murder-for-hire case.

Lesczcynski made national headlines when the Department of Justice said he forged a pardon from then-President Donald Trump after being indicted on charges that he applied for and received two Payroll Protection Loans from the government totaling about $196,000 on behalf of a fictitious Christian nonprofit organization he started called Love & Bliss Inc.

Following his indictment, the DOJ said Lesczcynski tried to hire a hitman to kill two government employees prepared to testify against him. According to investigators, in August and September, Leszczynski of 173rd Avenue East promised to pay a person to kill two people who are expected to testify against him in the PPP case.

Prosecutors said Lesczcynski also engaged in a check-kiting scheme in which he tried to deposit $2.7 million in worthless checks into the account of Love & Bliss Inc.

During the initial investigation into the PPP fraud, the government seized $337,000 from one of Leszczynski’s accounts.

“When he discovered that the money had been frozen, he attempted to have it released by producing a fabricated pardon purportedly signed by former President Donald Trump,” United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg said.

The government said Leszczynski was also involved in another scheme in which he tried to deed himself more than 10 properties around the country valued at more than $300 million, including a property reportedly owned by Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

The properties Leszczynski tried to deed to himself included Epstein’s mansion in Palm Beach and a ranch in New Mexico.

When the true property owners or their attorneys tried to correct the fraudulent deeds, prosecutors said Leszczynski “responded by sending harassing and threatening letters, emails, and faxes.”

Leszczynski was arrested May 17 and is being held without bail in the Pinellas County Jail.

According to the court documents, Lesczcynski used fictitious charitable entities, including Love & Bliss Inc., to fraudulently apply for and receive two Payroll Protection Plan loans totaling $195,910.

The DOJ said Lesczcynski laundered the proceeds of the PPP and check-kiting schemes through multiple accounts in an effort to conceal those proceeds from the United States and forestall its recovery.

See related stories:

• Pinellas County Man Tried To Hire Hitman To Take Out Witnesses: FBI
• Pinellas Man Accused Of Creating Fake Trump Pardon To Escape PPP Fraud

In April, a grand jury in the Middle District of Florida charged Leszczynski with several crimes related to the above-described fraud scheme, including fraud related to property owned by Epstein and others. He was arraigned on May 17 and ordered to be held in jail without bail.

In August 2022, the FBI became aware that, while incarcerated at the Pinellas County Jail, Leszczynski sought out a hitman to kill the government employees scheduled to testify against him, said court records.

The FBI said Leszczynski reported to a confidential informant that he had $45,000 hidden at his home available to pay someone to kill the employees. Leszczynski told the confidential informant that his pending criminal case (the fraud case) would have to be dropped if the employees were dead, said the FBI. The confidential informant agreed to put Leszczynski in contact with a purported hitman, who was actually an undercover agent.

According to the FBI, on Sept. 8 and 9, Lesczcynski called the undercover agent, and gave him the names, addresses, physical descriptions, approximate ages and other information that would allow the undercover agent to find photographs of the two employees online.

Lesczcynski also negotiated a price for the hit, settling on paying $30,000. The FBI said Lesczcynski repeatedly told the undercover agent that he wanted the two employees dead.

The fraud case was investigated by the FBI, the Largo Police Department, the Indian Shores Police Department and the Palm Beach Police Department.

The murder-for-hire case was investigated by the FBI and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

A date for the sentencing hearing has not been posted.