SLO couple with federal criminal record accused of fleeing theft charges in Napa
A couple from San Luis Obispo with a federal criminal record briefly went on the run from new felony charges in Northern California — and one of them might still be at large.
Michael and Kensington Forster were arrested in Napa County on March 28 and are accused of stealing a $1,200 blanket and wine from a local home store and market, the Yountville Sun reported.
The blanket was found in their vehicle and the wine appeared to have been consumed, the newspaper reported. A $5,000 golf cart from a hotel also went missing two days before.
Michael Forster, 61, was charged with four felony counts of conspiracy to commit crime, second-degree burglary, grand theft exceeding $950 in value and possession of stolen property, according to Napa County Superior Court records. The Tribune could not locate charges against Kensington Forster, 50, but the Yountville Sun reported she faces the same charges.
The pair posted bail but did not appear for their April 7 court hearing, triggering a felony warrant for their arrest, the Sun reported. Napa County court records confirm that Michael posted bail on April 3 and a warrant was issued for his arrest on April 7.
The warrant was executed on April 10, and Michael was booked into the Napa County jail at 5:30 p.m., according to the jail’s booking log, with bail set at $50,000.
Michael was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to the charges on April 13, court records show. He was released from custody under supervision without additional bail that evening, according to the booking log. His next court date was set for May 21.
The Tribune could not locate a court case, active warrant or booking history for Kensington in Napa County’s jail or court records. A Napa County spokesperson declined to comment on Kensington’s case.
Suspect was sued by federal government for securities fraud
This is not the first time the couple has run into trouble with the law.
In 2020, federal prosecutors charged Michael Forster with criminal conspiracy to commit securities fraud for participating in a “pump-and-dump” scheme to sell inflated stocks to investors of a sham San Diego-based natural energy drink brand, Cuba Beverage LLC, in 2012, according to a federal complaint.
He was accused of running fake sales campaigns, including drafting press releases and setting up a “boiler room” call center, to mislead investors and manipulate the company’s stock, according to the complaint. The scheme produced $156,360 in profit, the complaint said.
Forster pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge — accepting a felony conviction — and ultimately paid the government back the profits in entirety while agreeing also to pay an additional $156,764 to the FBI, according to federal court records. He was sentenced last month.
“I acted as I did because of greed, and I offer no excuses whatsoever for my conduct,” Forster wrote in a March 20 letter to a federal court district judge ahead of his sentencing. “I am deeply embarrassed by my actions and genuinely remorseful for the harm I caused.”
“I have accepted complete responsibility for my criminal conduct and have done everything in my power to make amends,” Forster said. “I have tried, to the best of my ability, to right the wrongs I committed and to live honestly every single day since.”
Forster was sentenced on March 27, court records show. Though federal prosecutors recommended he be sentenced to 12 to 18 months in prison, he was given only one day, in addition to a $20,000 fine on top of his other restitution payments, according to a sentencing report.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission also filed civil charges against Forster in 2022 relating to the same conviction.
As a part of the fraud scheme, Forster purchased nearly 2 million shares of Cuba Beverage across seven brokerage accounts — some in his name and some in his girlfriend’s name — vaulting the price of the cheap penny stocks 1,120%, according to the complaint.
The civil complaint accused Forster of being a “penny-stock promoter” for other companies well before he became involved with Cuba Beverage, including for a purported solar panel company and multiple media groups, such as one called Kensington Marketing LLC.
He also owned a number of stock promotion websites and investor-relations firms under his company SLO 3 Holdings LLC, of which he was the sole officer, according to the complaint.
SLO 3 Holdings, as well as another company Gidapis LLC, were headquartered at 895 Pismo St. in San Luis Obispo, according to the OpenCorporates online business database. Both companies are now dissolved after having been suspended or terminated.
The sole officer of Gidapis LLC was Amy Swanson — who the Securities and Exchange Commission said in a 2015 filing was “(also known as) Kensington Forster” and was “Forster’s girlfriend.”
Forster consented to a court order permanently barring him from trading or offering penny stocks, and the case was settled.
This story was originally published April 25, 2026 at 10:00 AM.
