Wife, Relatives Indicted in Fla. Millionaire's Slaying

(July 9) -- The wife of Ben Novack Jr., the Fort Lauderdale business magnate who was beaten to death in New York last year, was indicted Thursday along with three others for allegedly plotting to seize control of his multimillion-dollar fortune.

The federal indictment charges Narcy Novack, 53; her brother Cristobal Veliz, 56; another relative, Denis Ramirez, 36; and Joel Gonzalez, 25, with conspiring to commit interstate domestic violence and stalking.

"The plot that led to the brutal death of Ben Novack Jr. was a family affair," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in announcing the indictment.

Narcy Novack was arrested Thursday in Florida; Veliz and Ramirez were arrested in New York. Gonzalez surrendered in Miami. If convicted, they could face life in prison.

The investigation into the case began on July 12, 2009, when Novack, 53, was found dead inside his Rye Brook, N.Y., hotel room. According to police, he had been bound with duct tape and beaten to death.

Investigators found nothing missing inside the room, leading them to believe robbery was not a motive. "It was centered on him," Rye Brook Police Chief Gregory Austin said at the time. "This was not a stranger that randomly picked him."

The victim was the son of Ben Novack Sr., founder of the Fountainbleau Hotel in Miami. The luxurious 1,504-room hotel is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and has been the backdrop for several Hollywood movies and TV shows, most notably the 1964 James Bond film "Goldfinger."

The Novack family owned the hotel from the time it was built in 1954 until they lost it in bankruptcy in 1977. Despite the loss, Ben Novack Jr. continued on to open a successful convention-management company. (According to the New York Post, he also owned one of the "largest collections of Batman memorabilia in the world.") At the time of Novack's death, his estate was worth an estimated $10 million.

While Novack was born into a life of luxury, his wife married into it. A native of Ecuador, she was reportedly working as a stripper when she met Novack. The two hit it off and were wed in 1991.

The Miami Herald reports that the couple's relationship soon turned stormy, and allegations of spousal abuse surfaced. Then, in June 2002, Novack accused his wife of participating in a robbery of their Florida home, during which he was tied up in a chair. She later told police the incident was actually part of a bondage sex game.

Novack at one point filed for divorce, but eventually dropped the petition and the couple reconciled.

When authorities questioned Narcy Novack about her husband's death, she told them he was doing business with "weird people." Suspicious of the story, investigators gave her a lie-detector test, which they say displayed ''indications of deception.''

A short time later, police obtained a search warrant for the Novack home, and investigators confiscated several items, including five rolls of duct tape and footage from surveillance cameras.

Investigators also received an anonymous letter informing them that the recent death of Ben Novack's mother was actually a homicide. Bernice Stempel Novack, 86, was found dead in her Fort Lauderdale home on April 6, 2009. The cause of death was listed as "accidental," with the county coroner having ruled it a result of multiple falls.

Authorities won't comment on Bernice Novack's death other than to say that it is still under investigation.

In the Ben Novack case, it was clear early on that investigators were focusing in on Narcy Novack. But the real break didn't come until one of the alleged killers -- whom authorities have not named -- provided information about how the murder was carried out.

According to the indictment, Narcy Novack let her husband's killers into the hotel room and watched as they brutally beat him; she also handed one of the killers a pillow to muffle her husband's screams. It is further alleged that, after the crime, Narcy Novack gave her husband's diamond bracelet to one of the men.

While the indictment details the beating, it does not describe Ben Novack's actual death. For reasons that have not yet been made clear by prosecutors, the conspirators have yet to be charged with murder. Instead, they face charges of conspiracy to commit interstate domestic violence and stalking.

Authorities contend that Novack was having an affair at the time of his death and his wife was fearful that, if they divorced, she would be left with less than $100,000 because of a prenuptial agreement. As a result, the only way in which she could benefit would be through his will, which named her as beneficiary.

Narcy Novack's attorney, Robert Trachman, told CBS 4 News today his client is being falsely accused.

"[The charges] are simply based on innuendo and rumor and supposition, and there is no basis to this in fact," Trachman said.