A fence that was put up by a convicted felon who claims ownership rights to the property, on a beachfront site in Daly City, is being dismantled today, according to a county supervisor.

The saga linked to it may not be over, but on Friday a controversial fence that was blocking public access to Thornton State Beach in Daly City was set to come down. KRON4 reports, via San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa, that the fence, which was erected last month near a parking area, not far from the intersection of Skyline Boulevard and John Daly Boulevard intersection, is being dismantled by city or county crews.

"This is a day for the walkers and horseback riders to reclaim access to Thornton State Beach which has been restricted for a month by an illegal fence erected by a con man and swindler,” Canepa said in a statement. "The beach belongs to the public and today marks the beginning of the end of Lucky Luke’s defiance and intimidation as Daly City begins to dismantle and haul away his monstrous, threatening fence that was erected in violation of the California Coastal Act."

The "threatening" part Canepa refers to was an actual threat of death that was on a handwritten sign warning off trespassers, which appeared to have been written by 62-year-old Luke Brugnara. Brugnara, who served time in the last decade for a major federal fraud case involving $11 million in artwork he had stored in a San Francisco garage, appears to be living in an RV on the beachfront site with a 26-year-old girlfriend, and he says he erected the fence because it was his right, after securing a deal to purchase the property.

The Chronicle subsequently reported on a complicated ownership structure involving seven different owners, some of whom are siblings, and the reporting suggested that Brugnara may only own a small percentage of the land, if he owned any at all.

Brugnara was then arrested last month for allegedly threatening a trespasser, and then his girlfriend/lawyer, Yitong Emily Wen, filed for a court order last week to try to stop the city or county from dismantling the fence. It's unclear where that legal case stands.

In a recent interview with ABC 7, Brugnara remained defiant about the legality of the fence and his rights to the property, and given his history, this story is likely not over.

Meanwhile, federal prosecutors appear to be pushing to re-arrest Brugnara as a potential danger to the public, as he continues to face charges in federal court pertaining to a $422,000 PPP loan he obtained during the pandemic.

Previously: Fence Controversy at Daly City Beachfront Property Escalates With Legal Filing