Fugitive Boynton officer studied to be Internet entrepreneur - Palm Beach Post
Sun Sentinel
Updated: 11:44a.m.Saturday,Sept.3,2011
Posted: 11:19a.m.Saturday,Sept.3,2011
BOYNTON BEACH Fugitive cop David Britto, who made headlines this week for going on the lam rather than face federal drug charges, was constantly reading self-help books and attending motivational seminars.
He wanted to better himself. To become an entrepreneur. To augment his annual $53,000 salary as a Boynton Beach policeman.
So he turned to viral marketing, setting up websites to pitch dating books, nutritional supplements, and household items, including dandruff shampoo, an electric razor, a food dehydrator and the Swiffer sweeper.
Federal prosecutors say Britto, 28, aspired to another sideline as well: selling methamphetamine. He was arrested July 1 and charged with conspiring with at least one other man to possess and traffic more than 500 grams of the drug between June 2009 and March of this year. He pleaded not guilty and was scheduled to go on trial Sept. 12.
He faced up to life in prison but, if convicted, likely would have been sentenced to far less.
On Tuesday, authorities announced that Britto had disappeared on Aug. 24, escaping pre-trial detention by cutting off his electronic ankle monitor and vanishing into the night. He's now the subject of an aggressive manhunt led by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Britto's attorney, Michael Salnick, said Friday that he's working with the officer's family to get him back.
"I just think the stress and the pressure of what happened may have overcome his good judgment," Salnick said. "He's a good responsible guy and this is really out of characterI saw nothing but determination, maturity and an understanding of the realistic consequences that could happen, that might happen."
On the Boynton Beach force, Britto wanted to stand out and did, becoming the department's 2010 Officer of the Year in part for performing CPR on a 2-year-old who nearly drowned in the family pool.
"It is nice to be recognized when you have really tried your best," he said upon receiving the honor. "This only motivates me to keep doing what I'm doing and reach my goals."
Among his stated aims: helping others. Praising Jesus. Engaging in bodybuilding and martial arts. And building an online following, though not for becoming a uniformed fugitive from justice.
Britto created about a dozen websites and used the Twitter social network to earn money by enticing people to click on ads.
On getfitandeatright.com, he is pictured shirtless with biceps bulging. Calling himself "Coach Dave," Britto boasted of having more than 10 years' experience in martial arts, fitness and nutrition, while hawking a pocket guide to herbal therapy, diet pills and exercise videos.
"My purpose and goal is help as many people as I can in order for them to take action and achieve their goal," Britto wrote. "So will you take action? Will you be consistent? Those are two key ingredients to success!"
His inspirational website, blessedwarrior.com, devoted to faith and God, includes ads for free Bible downloads and miracle prayer requests. One post, about life's challenges such as illness, includes a hyperlink to the phrase "hospital bed," which takes viewers to a site selling hospital beds.
Britto who was married twice, according to public records billed himself as a "relationship coach" on another website dedicated to how to win your loved one back.
"A couple years ago, actually when I was 18, I broke up with my ex and I actually saw her with another guy and that was probably the worst experience I ever felt in my life," Britto said in a YouTube video in which he gives tips to the brokenhearted. "You know it hurt a lot, you know. And so I started reading a lot of books about relationships."
Most recently, Britto's companion was fellow blogger Christabelle Arguello, 26, whom Britto is pictured with on several websites, including one created to sell the Bissell Quick Steamer.
"I'm a happy girlfriend to a wonderful man of God and my best friend," Arguello, a mother of two, wrote on her website.
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