$1-Million Yacht Reported Stolen Is Found in Mexico

A $1-million yacht originally reported as stolen turned up Monday in Mexico, where it was apparently taken in an ownership dispute, police said.

Robert Cirac, 44, of Laguna Hills told police that his 65-foot yacht was stolen from Harbor Island on Friday.

But Monday, police said the yacht was apparently owned by three different parties, including Cirac.

“What really happened was one of the other parties repossessed the boat, took it back from Cirac and had it taken to Ensenada,” Newport Beach Police Sgt. John Desmond said.

“There’s attorneys like you can’t believe involved in this thing. What you have is three people claiming ownership.”

Cirac, who could not be reached for comment, is in Mexico, trying to sort out the matter, Desmond said.

Cirac had told reporters he asked police to watch the boat, which was docked near the 100 block of Harbor Island Drive, after a man started asking “suspicious questions” about it. Cirac also said the boat was stolen during a “shift change” of police officers.

Desmond, however, disputed Cirac’s statements, saying Newport Beach police were not watching the boat.