A retired doctor accused of having guns and prostitutes on his party boat may have shipped drugs from Miami to the luxury yacht, according to police reports.
Scott Burke, 69, was arrested after police swooped on the 80-foot boat, the JessConn, on September 5 after a woman on board called her ex-boyfriend.
The doctor, who is battling terminal cancer and has only months to live according to his lawyer, has been charged with a slew of drug and firearms charges following the raid.
She allegedly told him that “they were on drugs all weekend and the people on the boat had made pornographic films.”
But the new statement, obtained by the Nantucket Streamstates that the ex-boyfriend saw Burke step over the woman, end the call and then “turn off the phone.”
Scott Burke, 69, was arrested after police swooped on the 80-foot boat, the JessConn, on September 5 after a woman on board called her ex-boyfriend
The doctor, who is battling terminal cancer and has only months to live according to his lawyer, has been charged with a slew of drug and firearms charges following the raid.
The man, from Texas, told Detective Amanda Schwenk that he saw ‘Burke step up (the woman), end the call, and he suspected he had turned off the phone because when he called it went straight to voicemail .’
Burke’s attorney, Hank Brennan, previously claimed the man had made “inconsistent” statements to authorities.
“He’s a bitter ex-boyfriend who was angry that she wouldn’t visit him and I wouldn’t put much stock in what he has to say,” Brennan told the Current. “His accounts are inconsistent.”
Investigators reportedly discovered two FedEx packages addressed to Burke that were shipped from Miami, Florida, in priority envelopes.
The packages were the subject of the second search warrant, with investigators saying they came from a “high-intensity drug trafficking area.”
Drug sniffer dogs indicated a lingering narcotic odor from the packages and were turned over to the DEA Task Force for testing.
Police also seized the yacht’s video surveillance system, including memory cards, hard drives and other electronic storage devices. It is unclear what can be seen in the images.
A second woman is also named in the affidavit, claiming that on September 4, Burke “didn’t speak to her properly, swore and was rude, so she asked Burke to take her into town.”
Burke (pictured with his family) has pleaded not guilty to the charges and was ‘extremely uncooperative’ when police boarded the yacht
The woman told the man, “They were on drugs all weekend and people on the boat had been making pornographic films,” according to a police warrant
Key Largo’s hideaway boasts a Navy, three ‘championship’ golf courses and its own private airport with security reportedly so tight that even visitors are fingerprinted
She “ended up going shopping, sightseeing and staying away for the evening” and was unable to tell officers where she had been staying because she denied being on the boat on September 5.
A Bank of America debit card with Burke’s name on it was also found to have “pink powder” on the edges, which was confirmed to be ketamine.
Authorities rushed to the boat after the woman on board told her male friend on the phone that she wanted to leave before passing out.
He then contacted police and told them she had overdosed, telling them the boat had ketamine, Adderall, ecstasy and cocaine on board.
Law enforcement sources previously told the Current that several prostitutes were found on the boat. No charges have been filed against Burke based on these claims.
A police report previously said officers raided the boat after reports of a woman in distress who “didn’t feel safe” on board and may have overdosed.
Burke was charged with one count of trafficking a Class B drug, one count of possession to distribute a Class A drug, one count of possession of ammunition without a license and four counts of possession of a large capacity feeding device.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was “extremely uncooperative” when police boarded the yacht and was handcuffed and detained because of his behavior, an affidavit said.
The married father of two claimed the woman who overdosed had been working for him for a few weeks and her friend was staying on the boat.
The married father of two claimed the woman who overdosed had been working for him for a few weeks and her friend was staying on the boat.
Burke lawyer Henry Brennan – who once represented local crime boss Whitey Bulger – told the court at a hearing that his client has an unspecified form of terminal cancer.
The Coast Guard and Nantucket police have launched an investigation after a woman was taken off the ship, named Jess Conn, following a ‘wellness check’
Burke, who practiced in Denver, Colorado, initially denied knowing there were illegal drugs on the luxury boat.
Both women also denied knowledge of the drugs, although one claimed she had a prescription for Adderall.
Scott Burke, 69, has been charged with possession of a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition and handling Class A and B drugs
According to the police report, authorities found 43 grams of cocaine, 14 grams of ketamine, a .380 pistol, three 30-round 9mm magazines and a 12-round magazine in a 9mm pistol.
It also revealed that several rounds of ammunition were found on the bedroom floor of the yacht, with the doctor allegedly admitting the weapons were his.
Burke told authorities he owned the boat and had a license to carry firearms – with the investigation confirming that Burke’s license to carry in Florida expired in 2022.
He currently lives at the Ocean Reef Club, a gated private estate in Key Largo, Florida.
The area is known for its lavish homes with the likes of a six-bedroom, 10-bathroom Ocean Reef home currently for sale in the area for $35 million.
The retired doctor, who set up a health insurance company where both his children work, appears to have practiced several other trades. Pictured: Scott Burke (right) and wife Ellen
Police raided his yacht, JessConn, (pictured) after a man called 911 claiming a girlfriend had called him from the ship before he passed out
Burke lawyer Henry Brennan – who once represented local crime boss Whitey Bulger – told the court at a hearing that his client has an unspecified form of terminal cancer.
In a conversation with Nantucket District Judge James Sullivan last week, Brennan reportedly revealed Burke’s health struggles, arguing that given Burke’s lack of criminal record, the court should choose not to hold him for pretrial detention.
“It would be very tragic for me if this man potentially had to wait the rest of his life for a case in prison,” the lawyer argued.
Burke, who owns a $2.3 million mansion in Englewood, Colorado, appears to have named the ship after his children.
He is also the manager of JessConn Charters – based in Florida – although it is unclear how much or whether he charged clients for traveling on a vessel used in that venture.
The ship recently ran aground in Florida in May, but appears to have escaped without significant damage during the incident.
Burke has a hearing scheduled in Nantucket for October, according to public records. Until then, he can stay in Florida.
