COUNTYWIDE : Suspect in Bilking Case Pleads Innocent

A man accused of bilking several women, including his bride, of more than $100,000 was arraigned on theft charges Friday in Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana.

Joseph (Mac) Duffy, 28, appeared briefly in court to be formally charged with four counts of grand theft. He pleaded not guilty.

Duffy, a self-proclaimed professional golfer whose wife said he is trying to repay his debts by teaching the sport at a Florida country club, remained free on $40,000 bail. He returned to Florida later Friday.

Prosecutors argued that because Duffy has moved to Florida, his bail should be increased, but Superior Court Judge Myron S. Brown denied that request. Brown scheduled Duffy’s trial for May 8.

Sylvianne Lestringant, a Laguna Niguel resident who married Duffy in Las Vegas in a failed attempt to avoid testifying against him, said she paid $4,000 down for the bail and secured the balance with her property.

Duffy, a native of Scotland, was arrested in November on theft charges stemming from complaints by nine women from around the world.

They alleged that Duffy claimed he was a stockbroker and promised to invest thousands of their dollars in the European stock market but never did.

At his preliminary hearing last month, Duffy was faced with several women in their late 30s to 50s who angrily claimed that Duffy had conned them out of Rolex watches, fancy clothes and thousands of dollars that he said he would invest for them.

One woman said Duffy bought himself a Rolls-Royce with $10,000 of her money.

Duffy has said he intends to pay back the “loans” from the women and he is innocent of criminal charges.