LAS VEGAS — An arrest report says that a man in Henderson is accused of kidnapping the owner of a construction company after an IRS investigation showed that his wife reportedly stole $20 million.
Records show that 42-year-old William Costa of Henderson is charged with kidnapping, coercion with the use of force, blackmail, grand theft of a motor vehicle, and pressuring someone not to report a crime.
Documents show that in the last few months of 2024, the IRS began an investigation into Larry Gilmore’s business, Gilmore Construction LLC. They found that his accountant, Cynthia Marabella, had stolen $20 million from the company over seven years.
Around 8:30 a.m. on February 20, Gilmore was on his way to work when he saw a purple Lamborghini at the corner of Dean Martin Drive and Starr Avenue. Police said that the IRS had told him before that Marabella bought a purple Lamborghini with money that was stolen from his business.
A black Chevy Suburban hit Gilmore from behind while he was looking at the Lamborghini. He got out of his car to see what the damage was and started talking to a man he didn’t know. Two men took pictures of the damage. The report said that when Gilmore went to take a picture of the back license plate, he saw that there wasn’t one there.
The man then pulled out his phone and showed him pictures of his wife and kids while telling him, “You know what this is Larry? Get in the car.” Two more men got out of the Suburban and pushed him into it. They searched him for weapons, took his phone and Apple Watch, put them in a bag that would block signals, tied his hands together, and put a bag over his head, according to the police.
The report said that one of the guys took Gilmore’s car keys and drove off.
After driving Gilmore for ten minutes to an unknown spot, they put him in a big black truck with a lift and drove him to another desert spot they didn’t know about. Gilmore was on his knees with a gun to the back of his head when the guys arrived. He saw Costa, Marabella’s husband, who he had known for about 12 years, and two other guys he didn’t know when the hood was taken off, police said.
He told Gilmore to get up and walk with him. The two men went out into the desert and talked for an hour. During that time, Costa gave Gilmore two choices. The arrest report says that either Gilmore helps drop the charges against Marabella by telling the IRS that the money was a gift or an investment for a business, or Costa will kill Gilmore’s whole family while leaving him and his father living so they can see the killings.
Coast told Gilmore that he didn’t know about the case until the IRS called him. When he begged Costa, he agreed to let Gilmore talk to his dad and business partner about “fixing” things. Police say Costa told Gilmore that he would always owe him money and try to repay some of the money that was stolen if the charges were dropped.
Gilmore was told not to look at anyone and was not given a new hood when the two guys got back to the truck. The report said Gilmore knew the spot to be south of Las Vegas and near Sloan.
Gilmore was driven to the M Resort and Casino by the guys, who then left his car there. They gave him back his phone and watch, and he drove off in his car.
Gilmore said he was afraid for his own life and the lives of his family, so he didn’t call the police right away about the theft. He later chose to report the crime and showed that he had slight injuries to his wrist and knees from being pushed to the ground and zip-tied. Police say Gilmore also had rib injuries that looked like they were caused by being hit.
Around 3:50 a.m. on February 21, cops went to Costa’s house and called him from outside. At first, Costa wouldn’t leave the house, but he eventually gave in and was jailed.
He was supposed to go to court on March 12, but he stayed in jail on $1.5 million bail on Wednesday.
