A millionaire who was dramatically arrested just moments after his 50-acre California private island was auctioned off has issued a frank rebuttal – as the fate of his business and freedom loom over him.
Self-described ‘American entrepreneur’ John Sweeney, 54, was arrested alongside his wife on Wednesday outside of the Solano County Courthouse right after his property, Point Buckler Island, sold for a whopping $3.8million.
Sweeney told DailyMail.com it ‘feels good to be rich again,’ referring to the fact that he is no longer responsible for the penalties and fines against him for restorations now that John Muir Land Trust officially acquired the island.
After buying the land in 2011 for $150,000, Sweeney turned it into a kitesurfing club for billionaires in Silicon Valley – allegedly making many illegal moves during its transformation, according to numerous government agencies.
California lawmakers snatched the turtle-shaped marshland – home to several endangered species – from under him, over claims that he allegedly committed ‘one of the worst environmental activities in the entire San Francisco Bay.’
Sweeney chose to attend the court proceedings on Wednesday, or as he called it, ‘a big show for the Water Board,’ in protest of the county-mandated sale, marking the end of a grueling 10-year battle between him and numerous government agencies in the Golden Gate City.
He told DailyMail.com that he believes the state’s Water Board didn’t think he would be there, ‘but I showed up’ – sparking immediate tension at the sale.
Sweeney recalled being interviewed by reporters after the land sold, when all of a sudden he and his wife Jennifer Frost, 41, were sensationally arrested and walked down to the court house to meet a judge waiting for them.
Self-described ‘American entrepreneur’ John Sweeney, 54, told DailyMail.com ‘it feels good to be rich again’ after his 50-acre land – Point Buckler Island – sold for a whopping $3.8 million on Wednesday
After buying the land in 2011 for $150,000, Sweeney turned it into a kitesurfing club for billionaires in Silicon Valley – allegedly making many illegal moves during its transformation, according to numerous government agencies
He told DailyMail.com that during the auction, Sweeney and his wife noticed about 10 officers surrounding him, but he had no idea they would really take action, calling the entire ordeal ‘hella stressful.’
During the hearing, Sweeney said that the judge told them they’re in contempt because they haven’t paid $3million for changes made to the island that they are being federally sued for.
They soon walked free but the couple, who live in Solano County, have to now figure out what their next move is as they are set to return back to court on February 4 where they might face contempt again and could start their jail sentence.
Putting his business on the backburner for now, Sweeney said that he and his wife are focused on trying to fight this battle, despite not being able to get help from a lawyer in the past.
The businessman said that since 2022 the couple have not been allowed to obtain a legal team or even a court appointed lawyer.
Sweeney has accused Eileen White, the executive officer for the Water Board, of planning the sale of his land and also banning him and his wife from obtaining legal counsel throughout the battle, The Daily Muck reported.
They are now looking for a lawyer, and have been contacted by many attornys since news broke of the sale and their sudden arrest, according to Sweeney.
Sweeney has also hit out on the way the auction was held, as he knew that John Muir Land Trust actually bought the land back in November.
In a dramatic turn of events, after the land was sold to John Muir Land Trust, Sweeney and his wife Jennifer Frost, 41, were sensationally arrested and walked down to the court house to meet a judge waiting for them. (Pictured: John and Jennifer)
He told DailyMail.com that during the auction Sweeney and his wife noticed about 10 officers surrounding him, but he had not idea they would really take action, calling the entire ordeal ‘hella stressful’
A document (pictured) obtained by DailyMail.com revealed that Sweeney was notified of the transaction on November 25, but still, the auction was held approximately three months later
A document obtained by DailyMail.com revealed that Sweeney was notified of the transaction on November 25, but still, the auction was held approximately three months later.
During it, Sweeney abruptly interrupted and approached the crowd of people before being asked who he was.
‘Are you a bidder?’ Sgt. Tyler Pierce of the Solano County Sheriff’s Office asked him. Sweeney then replied: ‘I’m the owner.’
Tensions quickly grew as Sweeney added: ‘Government at its finest. Can’t figure out how to sell a property.’
He noted that at the beginning, it started like any other auction – starting from $0 – but then the sheriff read from a paper and announced that the company, based in Martinez, was sold the island.
John Muir Land Trust is run by ‘the generous support of thousands of nature lovers,’ which strive to protect ‘the places that make the East Bay special,’ according to the company’s website.
Linus Eukel, John Muir Land Trust’s Executive Director, confirmed that even though bidding started higher than expected, he was pleased with how it was handled, The Mercury News reported.
Eukel added that the company was prepared to pay millions anyway because the trust wasn’t actually fronting the cash, but instead using court-awarded credit from Sweeney’s outstanding fines to obtain the land.
After Sweeney bought the island he rebuilt the levee surrounding the land, constructed helicopter pads and launched an exclusive kiteboarding club for the elites
Sweeney has been accused of constructing two helipads, a deep-water dock, a levee, all of which were said to violate several Water Board codes that were put in place to protect the endangered species in Suisun Bay.
Agencies have described his drastic changes as ‘an enforcement case with the most negative impact to wetlands we’ve seen in a long, long time.’
It all started when a then 30-year-old Sweeney sold his advertising company, Sailing Billboards. Around the same time he began bringing in cash by teaching tech billionaires to sail.
Quickly, he began developing plans for his purchase. He decided he was going to rebuild the duck ponds for hunters in the winter months, and set up an exclusive kiteboarding club in the summers. He also planned to construct helipads and fix the levee surrounding the island.
The plans went into motion shortly after. With the levee fixed and the first helipad built, Sweeney took some of his old Silicon Valley sailing friends out to Point Buckler for some kiteboarding.
In recent years, kiteboarding – a sport that combines both surfing and paragliding – has become a popular pastime for the elites of society. Former President Barack Obama and Virgin founder Richard Branson are just two notable enthusiasts.
Sweeney’s friends from the Valley caught the bug and encouraged their buddy to start developing a private club on his island.
In April of 2016, an ad for the club read: ‘Kite with us. Access by heli or boat. Enjoy the new lounge, art and launch at the only private kite island in California.’
Sweeney got the idea to turn his new investment into an exclusive kitesurfing club for the elite after buying it in 2011 for $150,000
The club was definitely made for billionaires with a membership costing a whopping $750,000 per person.
Despite owning the entirety of the island, Sweeney began to experience some strange interactions with some seemingly uninvited guests.
‘I noticed people in boats taking pictures,’ he said. ‘And agency people, on a road across from the island, videoing me.’
For the next few months Sweeney was met with random inspections, site visits, letters and warnings from the water board. Eventually, the board handed Sweeney and his company, Point Buckler Club LLC, one of the biggest fines in its history.
In 2016 Sweeney was given a $4.6 million penalty. Its purpose was to assert that he carried out dozens of activities on his island without getting permission from the board, therefore breaking the Clear Water Act.
Some of those violations included the mowed grass, the fully-constructed helicopter pads, the developed lounge area and the finished dock. Sweeney was also in violation of filling state waters when he built the levee, which ultimately blocked 20-acres of tidal wetlands.
The water board doubled down on their claims with a statement that said Sweeney completed the work and construction ‘to develop the island for use as a private sport and social club.’
White told SFGate that the board ‘met with him for settlement discussions to get him to restore the island’ but that ‘basically, he didn’t want to do anything.’
‘Egregious. I mean, so egregious,’ White told the outlet of his unpermitted construction.
The private island is 50 acres and full of marshland, which is also home to several endangered and threatened species
Pictured above is the lounge that Sweeney constructed on the island for his private club
Since being sold, John Muir Land Trust said that the purchase is a ‘milestone’ in the company’s ‘Bay Delta Campaign’ – ‘an initiative to conserve land in an ecosystem that protects clean water and preserves essential habitat for 700 species of California fish and wildlife.’
‘Point Buckler is one of three islands that form the last points of passage for fish moving to and from the Pacific Ocean, Carquinez Strait, and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River systems,’ Eukel said.
‘John Muir Land Trust and many conservation partners are working to protect and restore the Bay Delta after decades of harmful human activity.’
White described the sale as ‘the best outcome we could have hoped for’ and a ‘win for all Californians.’
Meanwhile, Sweeney has continued to fight the ‘blatant land theft,’ accusing John Muir Land Trust of ‘secretly’ taking ownership of the island without getting ‘a fair market value appraisal.’
‘The auction itself was a charade. The sheriff’s office announced a pre-approved sale to JMLT, to the astonishment of attendees. Two other bidders were not informed of this prearranged deal, and the sheriff simply sold the island for $3.8 million—a fraction of its true value,’ he continued.
‘This case is a glaring example of government corruption, mismanagement of public assets, and violation of public trust.’
