MARION COUNTY, Fla. – The man accused of kidnapping his girlfriend from a Wildwood home and shooting at deputies during a 20-hour standoff last week had previously served decades in prison for fraud, court records show.
James Savage was arrested at a friend’s home in Marion County Friday, a day after police say he kidnapped and battered his girlfriend.
The kidnapping victim escaped from that home as deputies tried to apprehend Savage, investigators said.
Savage shot at deputies during the standoff but did not strike anyone, according to deputies.
He also shot and damaged a $2,000 law enforcement robot used by negotiators and sent investigators a photo of himself holding a gun to his head, a newly released arrest report shows.
Savage, who reportedly once described himself as a “gigolo,” has a criminal record dating back to 1990 with arrests for fraud, firearms violations and trafficking Rohypnol, known as the “date rape” drug.
In 2002, Savage was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison after a jury convicted him of defrauding eleven investors out of more than $7 million.
Many of those investors were older, single women who became romantically involved with Savage and gave him money to start various fraudulent businesses that included cell phone sales and disposal of nuclear waste.
Savage used the investors’ money to purchase luxury items including a waterfront mansion in Sarasota, a Lexus LX470 and a Merced Benz BTM, court records show.
Shortly after his release from federal prison in 2019, while on supervised probation, Savage was arrested again, accused of defrauding an elderly St. Lucie County woman who was suffering from dementia. He was sent back to prison after pleading no contest to the crime, court records show.
Savage was released from prison again in 2021.
Marion County deputies arrested Savage last year after a woman accused him of cyberstalking, but prosecutors declined to file criminal charges because they said the alleged victim became uncooperative.
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