LIGHTHOUSE POINT, Fla. (WSVN) — A South Florida millionaire awaiting trial for alleged sexual abuse involving his stepdaughter will be allowed to remain at his Lighthouse Point mansion under house arrest, a Broward County judge ruled on Thursday.
Speaking in court on Thursday, Broward Circuit Judge Michael Usan responded to prosecutors’ request to have real estate developer Louis Bianculli returned to jail. About two months ago, the suspect’s attorney convinced a judge to release his client so he could undergo emergency surgery on his knee.
But earlier this month, “Inside Edition” reporter Lisa Guerrero confronted Bianculli, 70, after he was captured standing and walking outside his $4 million residence.
“Did you exaggerate your knee injury so you could get out of jail, sir?” she asked.
Bianculli, who faces life in prison if convicted, did not respond.
Usan, however, ruled in Bianculli’s favor, saying he will be allowed to remain on house arrest until he undergoes surgery. “There was an indication that he was allowed to be outside, so this ‘gotcha film’ is not a gotcha nothing,” he said.
Bianculli, who was first arrested in July of 2015, is accused of drugging his 12-year-old stepdaughter with chloroform, then torturing and sexually abusing her for years.
His stepdaughter told police he used to put a bag on her head to “see how many breaths she could take until she passed out.”
She described her life with Bianculli to investigators by saying, “He’s the devil, and I’m in hell.”
The accusations were enough for Broward County Circuit Judge John Hurled to hold Bianculli without bond.
In court, Bianculli used a cane, but Robby Crisping, a private investigator hired by the alleged victim’s family, captured Bianculli in his backyard without a cane.
Cameras rolled as the suspect fished from the dock outside his residence and kicked back in his backyard while reading a magazine.
Usan indicated Bianculli’s leisure activities are well within his conditional release from jail.
The victim’s attorney, however, said the footage speaks for itself. “There’s been no surgery, and he’s not in custody,” said David Weinstien. “He’s violated the conditions of his release.”
Bianculli’s knee surgery is scheduled to happen in mid-February.
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