Judge Deems Danish Candy Magnate a Flight Risk

A 56-year-old Danish American entrepreneur charged in an alleged murder-for-hire scheme was denied a reduction of his $3-million bail at a hearing Tuesday.

Municipal Judge Gregg Marcus ruled that Flemming Larsen, owner of the now-closed Danish American Farms markets in North Hills and Simi Valley, was a flight risk because of his strong ties to his native Denmark, where he owns a ranch and large candy factory.

Larsen, who lives in an exclusive area of Thousand Oaks, was arrested earlier this month on two counts of soliciting murder and one count of soliciting a crime against two former associates. He has pleaded not guilty to all three charges.

A preliminary hearing was set for June 15.

Larry Diamond, the deputy Los Angeles County district attorney who is prosecuting the case, said Larsen wanted to kill Gerald Winkler, a Pacific Palisades resident whose company owned the North Hills store building, because he felt cheated in a business deal.

Winkler and Larsen recently sued each other over back rent and $100,000 in store renovations allegedly paid for by Larsen, court records show. Winkler did not return phone calls placed Tuesday to his company.

Diamond said the other intended victim was Michael Simon, Larsen’s former business manager, whom Larsen allegedly asked an undercover detective to cripple. Efforts to locate Simon were unsuccessful Tuesday.

Diamond said Larsen approached an acquaintance about hiring a contract killer. The man tipped off federal agents, who informed the Los Angeles Police Department on May 11.

In a sting operation, police arranged for an undercover officer posing as a hit man to meet with Larsen at a North Hollywood restaurant. Larsen was allegedly tape-recorded asking the officer to commit a murder for pay.

Larsen was stopped by police officers as he drove away from the meeting and arrested. Larsen’s lawyer, James N. Sussman, said his client is innocent but declined to comment further.

Larsen’s Simi Valley market has remained closed since December when it was heavily damaged in a fire.

The North Hills store, which opened in 1977, went out of business in January 1998 after the bankruptcy of Bente’s Fine Foods Inc., a holding company owned by and named after Larsen’s wife.

At the time of the filing, the company owed about $1.5 million to more than 150 creditors, according to bankruptcy court records.

The case has gained attention in Denmark, where such crimes are relatively rare and Larsen is known for his Esbjerg Candies.

Larsen, certified as a master sausage maker in his native land more than two decades ago, has operated several companies in Southern California, including a short-lived bakery in Solvang and a Northridge restaurant that he sold last year.

Friends said Larsen made most of his money investing in stocks and foreign currencies and managed a lavish lifestyle in Denmark. Though he is a naturalized American citizen, Larsen made frequent trips to his home outside of Kolding, where his wife and four children live on a large ranch, which has an indoor swimming pool, horses and a Lamborghini automobile.

Larsen also owns a $1.5-million, 6,300-square-foot gated hilltop home in the exclusive North Ranch neighborhood of Thousand Oaks.

Several of Larsen’s longtime friends showed up at the courthouse, afterward expressing skepticism about the charges.

“I wasn’t there so I don’t know what happened,” said Arne Myggen, 78, of Chatsworth. “But it would be completely out of character.”

Myggen and other friends described Larsen as a generous man who would not hesitate to lend money to those in need.

During Tuesday’s hearing Larsen seemed relaxed, winking at his friends sitting in the gallery as bailiffs led him back to jail.