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Category: The Economy

Judge Says Ponzi And HYIP Operator Who Swindled Mother Of Fallen U.S. Marine Deserves More Jail Time Than Specified In Plea Bargain, Sentences Juan Rangel To 22 Years; Rangel’s Son Wanted By FBI In Bribery Caper

EDITOR’S NOTE: Although this story largely focuses on the sentencing of Juan Rangel, his son — Harold Rangel — is wanted by the FBI in a bribery case and is believed to have helped his father pull off a massive HYIP and Ponzi scheme. Although federal prosecutors offered a plea bargain to Ponzi and HYIP…

Feb 16, 2011
BULLETIN: Bench Warrant Issued For Ponzi Schemer Who Ran Commodities Caper, Ripped Off Condo Association To Keep Scheme Afloat And Appeared On CNBC As Trading Analyst, CFTC Says

BULLETIN: A federal judge has frozen the assets of a trader and television analyst charged criminally by a New York County grand jury with multiple felonies in an alleged commodity-pool Ponzi scheme and charged civilly by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission in the same caper. Brian Kim, 35, is a “fugitive,” declared Manhattan District…

Feb 15, 2011
AN HYIP PARANOIA-MAKER: Undercover Agent Listens To Alleged Bankrupt Fraudster’s Pitch In ‘Hooters’; SEC Files Emergency Action Alleging Christopher Love Blackwell At Helm Of Massive Fraud Scheme

EDITOR’S NOTE: This developing story on the alleged actions of accused securities schemer Christopher Love Blackwell is apt to cause paranoia among HYIP and prime-bank fraudsters, including criminals who populate online forums such as TalkGold and MoneyMakerGroup. It features the presence of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) undercover operative who allegedly infiltrated Blackwell’s scheme…

Feb 10, 2011
TalkGold Ponzi And Criminals’ Forum Deletes ‘Sticky’ Thread On InstaForex; Firm Named Defendant In CFTC Sweep Used Payment Processor Whose Contact Person Is Referenced In International Money-Laundering And Narcotics Case

The TalkGold Ponzi scheme and criminals’ forum has deleted a “sticky” thread reportedly paid for by InstaForex, a dubious company named a defendant in a registration sweep conducted by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission last month. The PP Blog reported two days ago that InstaForex was using TalkGold to promote a scheme by which…

Feb 10, 2011
EDITORIAL: On Club Asteria, FxPowerPro And DisasterClub — And What The U.S. State Department Could Do To Contain The Danger Posed By The Talk Gold Ponzi And Criminals’ Forum And Others Of Its Ilk Worldwide

Let’s start with the chaos in Egypt this week. Protesters have streamed into the streets to demand that President Hosni Mubarak step down after three decades of autocratic rule. The government initially reacted by shutting down the Internet. As tensions rose, protesters, activists and journalists covering the events were beaten. Some of the protesters were…

Feb 4, 2011
BULLETIN: Florida — Again: Multiagency Probe Leads To Federal Criminal Charges Against 9 People In Interconnected Ponzi And Fraud Schemes

BULLETIN: An investigation by the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Miami Police Department has led to criminal charges against nine defendants in three Florida fraud schemes that allegedly were interconnected. Seven of the defendants were indicted. Two others were charged via criminal information, and the…

Feb 3, 2011
Judge Effectively Orders Treble Financial Penalty By Imposing $64.8 Civil Fine Against Ponzi Swindler Already Convicted In Criminal Case; Scammer Charles E. Hays Also Ordered To Disgorge $19.9 Million In Illicit Profits And Banned From Trade For Life

UPDATED 2:37 P.M. ET (U.S.A.) If you’re a modern-day commodities fraudster and Ponzi schemer, be prepared to have massive criminal and civil exposure. The recent cases against Charles E. “Chuck” Hays of Minnesota tell a tale of significant prison time, a huge criminal restitution order and civil fines that effectively exposed him to treble damages…

Feb 3, 2011
CFTC Alleges ‘Blatant Effort To Intimidate’ Investors Ripped Off In $50 Million Fraud; Asset Freeze Granted In Case Originally Filed Under Seal; Alleged Bid To Chill Customers Reminiscent Of Actions Taken By Some ASD Members

UPDATED 12:21 P.M. ET (U.S.A.) In a case that outlines allegations of intimidation reminiscent of efforts undertaken by some members of AdSurfDaily to frighten investors, a Utah federal judge has frozen the assets of a Texas man and entered an order prohibiting the destruction of books and records. Robert J. Andres and an unincorporated firm…

Feb 2, 2011
URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: Accused Fraudster Andy Bowdoin Enters Defense That Could Provide Legal Cover For Autosurf Ponzi Schemes If He Wins Case; ASD Operator Claims Business Model Stands Up To ‘Howey Test’ Scrutiny

BULLETIN: In an argument that almost certainly will give comfort to operators of some of the most corrupt and insidious businesses on the Internet, AdSurfDaily President Andy Bowdoin has advised a federal judge that his company and business practices are legitimate because they stand up to scrutiny when the “Howey Test” is applied. Bowdoin, 77, made…

Feb 1, 2011
BULLETIN (UPDATE): Now, A Web-Based ‘Immigration’ Scam Tied To A Telemarketing Scam, FTC Charges; Fraudsters Posed As U.S. Government, Agency Says; 3 People Arrested

BULLETIN: (UPDATED 3 P.M. ET (U.S.A.) The first experience some people seeking to become U.S. citizens had was to be duped by Americans, the Federal Trade Commission has alleged. After a probe involving multiple government agencies, the FTC has gone to federal court in Nevada to block what it described as an “immigration scam.” 3…

Jan 31, 2011
Father, 3 Sons Plead Guilty In Massive Texas Fraud And Ponzi Swindle; Members Of The Tony Rand Family Potentially Face Decades In Prison

Five people — including a father, three sons and a pitchman who doubled as an executive — have pleaded guilty to their roles in orchestrating a $68 million securities-fraud and Ponzi scheme involving fraudulent Texas oil-and-gas investments, federal prosecutors said. The father — William Anthony “Tony” Rand, 69, of Plano — is a recidivist felon…

Jan 31, 2011