PRINCETON, Minn. — In the early 1980s, Casey Ramirez arrived in the small Minnesota town of Princeton with solutions.

The slick-talking man from Florida, with aviator sunglasses and a killer smile, touted himself as a wealthy businessman and aviation enthusiast — and he had his eyes on Princeton’s airport.

At the time, the municipal airport was in financial trouble. Its future was uncertain, and Ramirez seemed like the answer to all of their problems.

For a while, he was.

He gave back to the community in big ways. He funded a new youth hockey rink. He donated computers to City Hall. He gifted the community with palm trees, which played into the town’s quest to attract visitors.

Yet years after he stepped in to save the day, the community — and world — learned who he really was.

He wa

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