department categorically denied the accusation. but as those loft friends heard more of chris wright s side of the story from bianca, they became convinced he was innocent. there were so many parts of the puzzle that were not adding up. reporter: unless, they reasoned, unless someone they knew very well wanted chris to take the fall. the dark suspicion wafted through the corridors of that old chocolate factory. perhaps police, they said, arrested the wrong neighbor. he had the perfect patsy in christopher. the neighbors started comparing notes and realized someone in their circle was not who he seemed. coming up we were astounded. and i remember saying to him, what? when suspicion continues. n.
and we were astounded. i remember saying to him, what? you ve put all this money into your loft, you ve got all this investment here. why are you leaving? he said it s just time to go. reporter: he claimed to be their great friend, sociable, gregarious, larger than life. then said neighbors once chris was arrest head seemed nervous. and now he was gone. and so they wondered, was david novak running from something? the loft friends began re-examining all the stories david told them over the years, particularly about his criminal past. we started comparing notes and stories and wow, david told me a different version of that. reporter: they d been lying, to put it rather bluntly. not the truth. reporter: the brief stint for mail fraud, turned out there was more to that store pep novak confessed to a con that played out like a cinematic thriller. he ran an insurance scam. then as it caught up with him,
reporter: none more so than perhaps the building s most gregarious and outsized personality david novak. he was so nice and entertaining and funny and charming. this building is for the people who just really liked him. and i would count myself completely as one of them. it s impossible not to be charmed by david. i adore the man. we were, i would say, basically best friends here in utah. reporter: david s huge personality fit his apparently oversized professional accomplishments. investor, restaurateur, owner of an extremely unusual consulting firm whose sole specialty was preparing wealthy clients for, of all thing, prison. he was hired to help put their affairs into order before they went to prison, help educate the family on what was going to happen, get the best sentencing for him. reporter: that business, as david confessed to his loft
he attempted to escape by faking his own death. ditched his airplane in puget sound. he faked his death in order to avoid insurance audit. that was not a crime of passion. that was a crime of calculation. reporter: or so the loft friends believed. and if that was true, what might he have done here in salt lake? their suspicion only grew when the friends found out novak left town without mentioning it was he who fingered chris in that surveillance photo. did he ever tell you that i identified christopher? no, no. reporter: that prepaid cell phone was the very clue that led police to chris. a phone which chris bought, said bianca, after novak assured him novak said that this guy routinely used these throw-away phones. reporter: what s more, chris could not have left that voice mail because, by the time of the
he d claimed to be their great friend, sociable, gregarious, larger than life. then said his neighbors, once chris was arrested, he seemed nervous. and now he was gone. and so they wondered, was david novak running from something? the loft friends began re-examining all those stories told them over the years, particularly those about his criminal past. started comparing notes and stories and it becomes clear, wow, david told me a different version of that. he d been lying, to put it rather bluntly. certainly not full truths. the brief prison term for mail fraud novak told them he served, turns out there was more to that story, a lot more. novak confessed to a con that played out like a cinematic thriller. he used a private flying club he owned to run an insurance cam. then as it caught up to him, he attempted to escape by faking his own death. ditched his airplane in puget sound.