The mystery malcontent who put up a fence to block visitors from accessing a public beach while threatening to shoot trespassers was revealed to be a notorious Bay Area fraudster released from federal prison just last year.
“Lucky” Luke Brugnara — a formerly high-flying real estate developer who served about nine years for a host of crimes including mail and wire fraud — put up the chain-link fence that sealed off a popular pathway to Thornton State Beach, San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa confirmed to The Post.
Luke Brugnara smiling in front of holiday decorations. Luke Brugnara“They can’t believe their recreation area, within two weeks, has become San Quentin,” he said of those who frequent the 58-acre public beachfront. “Its amazing how he’s just put these fences up and said, ‘Sorry, no access for you.'”
The fence also bore a small cardboard sign with a crudely drawn image of a gun and a menacing note saying “trespasser(s) will be shot!!”
Chainlink fence blocking access to a grassy area with a “PRIVATE PROPERTY, NO TRESPASSING, OWNER ARMED WITH 9MM GUN” sign. Courtesy of David Canepa
Brugnara was briefly booked into San Mateo County Jail on January 22 and released the same day, according to to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. It’s unclear whether his arrest was related to the fence.
In December, a trust tied to the ex-con purchased the land on which the fence stands, according to the Canepa.
Brugnara did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A winding walking path on a green hillside overlooks a blue ocean with white waves. California State ParksThe 62-year-old, whose real estate portfolio previously included prime San Francisco properties, was released from federal custody in August 2025, according to the Bureau of Prisons.
His lengthy rap sheet includes convictions for tax evasion and fraud, as well as accusations of making death threats and threatening a witness.
In 2010, he was accused of omitting proceeds from millions in real estate sales on federal tax returns and for blocking an opening in a private dam to prevent trout migration near his Bay Area estate.
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More than a decade earlier, regulators denied Brugnara’s request for a gambling license after he bought a Las Vegas casino, citing allegations that he made death threats and failed to keep records.
In 2015, he was busted for ordering $11 million worth of fine art, including the “Little Dancer” sculpture by Edgar Degas, from an art dealer to his San Francisco mansion and claiming the items were a gift.
He was sentenced to seven years in prison plus 471 additional days for contempt after he threw tantrums in the courtroom, called a federal prosecutor a “Nazi” and fled the courthouse where he was being held.
The Daly City Council planned to consider at a Monday night meeting whether to refer the fence issue to the California Coastal Commission, which has more expertise in handling beach access, Canepa added.
