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Category: Alleged Ponzi Schemes

California Man Guilty In $62 Million Ponzi Scheme; Milton Retana Targeted Latinos, Ordered Evidence To Be Hidden In Back Of Religious Bookstore

In yet another case in which the name of a precious metal or mineral was used in a Ponzi scheme, Milton Retana has been found guilty of six counts of mail fraud and one count of lying to federal investigators. Evidence of the fraud was hidden in the back of a religious bookstore operated by…

Jan 22, 2010
BULLETIN: Alberta Securities Commission Rules Gold Quest International A Ponzi Scheme AND A Pyramid Scheme; Panel Concludes GQI Was A ‘Sham’

UPDATED 7:03 P.M. ET (U.S.A.) The Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) has ruled Gold Quest International (GQI) a Ponzi and a Pyramid scheme. An ASC panel determined that GQI met the conditions for a Ponzi scheme because it had no viable product and paid earlier investors with money from new investors. It also was a pyramid…

Jan 21, 2010
RECEIVER: Trevor Cook May Be Hiding ‘Millions’ Of Iraqi Dinars, Faberge Eggs; SEC Has ‘Cooperating Witnesses’ In $190 Million Ponzi Case; Cook Wants $105 Monthly Outlay For Housecats

Alleged Minnesota Ponzi schemer Trevor Cook may be hiding “millions” of Iraqi Dinars once stored on the third floor of the Van Dusen mansion in Minneapolis, according to the court-appointed receiver in the case against Cook and former Christian radio host Pat Kiley. Cook also had a “vast” collection of expensive watches and “numerous” jeweled…

Jan 21, 2010
CHILLING: Terrorism Link, A Ponzi, An HYIP, Gold, Mysterious ‘Offshore’ Businesses, ‘Rebates’ — And A Brutal Murder In California

EDITOR’S NOTE: HYIP or autosurf promoter? Can’t say no to the commissions from recruiting people into scheme after scheme? Position yourself as an “expert” on Internet forums — even though you don’t have a clue about the motivations of the program owners and may not even know their names? Find yourself promoting programs that reference…

Jan 21, 2010
Scott Rothstein Property To Be Auctioned Saturday; Big Crowd Expected; Politicians Likely To Stay Home

Disbarred attorney and Ponzi scheme suspect Scott Rothstein’s name is radioactive among politicians of both major parties in the United States. The embarrassment began to build when Rothstein, a celebrated schmoozer and source of campaign funds, fled to Morocco after the alleged $1.2 billion scheme began to unravel last fall. Things got worse yet when…

Jan 20, 2010
MAGNIFYING GLASS: Local Cops Alerted Receiver In Cook/Kiley Ponzi Case That Credit Card Was Being Used After Asset Freeze

Player in a Ponzi scheme? If alleged Minnesota schemer Trevor Cook’s experience is any indication, you should expect to be placed under a microscope by local merchants and police if you’re named in a complaint by regulators. Cub Foods, a Minnesota-based grocery chain, placed Cook under video surveillance when he entered a local store. A…

Jan 20, 2010
UPDATE: Prosecutor Lauds FBI Terrorism Task Force In Case That Linked Serial HYIP Promoter To Scheme Operated By Man Convicted Of Financing Terrorism

EDITOR’S NOTE: In an earlier post, we briefly touched on Ponzi peddler Brian David Anderson and his tie to an HYIP operated by a man convicted of financing terror. Federal prosecutors now have released a formal statement on Anderson’s guilty plea in a related Ponzi scheme — and the statement thanked the FBI’s Joint Terrorism…

Jan 19, 2010
WHO IS THE MYSTERY SCHEMER? Cheerleaders, Lawyer, PR Flak Could Not Help Accused Fraudster Defeat The Math

EDITOR’S NOTE: It’s often said that the script of Ponzi schemes does not vary much from case to case. The “story” below could be told by any number of Ponzi scheme figures. Although the words below are made up, the “story” is based on a Ponzi figure currently in the news. After you read the…

Jan 18, 2010
PARTIAL LIST: Gold Nugget Invest (GNI) Just Latest Failed Scheme Promoted By AdSurfDaily Members; One Program After Another Pushed By Promoters Has Collapsed

EDITOR’S NOTE: This list summarizes several programs pushed by members of AdSurfDaily, a Florida company implicated in an alleged $100 million Ponzi scheme. In some cases, the programs were pushed prior to the seizure by the U.S. Secret Service in August 2008 of 15 bank accounts linked to ASD or Golden Panda Ad Builder, one…

Jan 18, 2010
EDITORIAL: Gold Nugget Invest ‘Players’ Create Smokescreen For Failed HYIP; Defend Company On Ponzi Boards, Claiming United States Has No Jurisdiction

EDITOR’S NOTE: Claims often are made that it’s “safe” for U.S. residents to invest in “offshore” opportunities and that offshore enterprises are outside the reach of U.S. regulators and law-enforcement agencies. This column refutes those assertions — and also includes information on Abdul Tawala Ibn Ali Alishtari, also known as “Michael Mixon.” Alishtari operated an…

Jan 17, 2010
ASD ALL OVER AGAIN? Gold Nugget Invest (GNI) Collapse Brings Out The Conspiracy Theorists, Apologists; Theorists Claim Interpol Investigating SEC

EDITOR’S NOTE: Conspiracy theories quickly became part of the AdSurfDaily story after federal agents seized tens of millions of dollars from the company in August 2008 amid Ponzi scheme allegations. Yesterday reports surfaced that Gold Nugget Invest (GNI), a High Yield Income Program (HYIP) positioned as a betting arbitrage, had collapsed. GNI reportedly announced that…

Jan 16, 2010