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Tag: Bernard Madoff

FRIDAY HYIP ODDITIES: (1) Spammer Swipes PP Blog Graphic, Uses It In Bid To Promote LibertyReserve; (2) Other Spammers Target JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid Threads; (3) ‘MoneyMakingBrain’ Calls Blog ‘BIG Idiot’ And ‘Deceptive Unethical Lowlife’

Here is an imponderable: Is there any ceiling to the absurdities in the HYIP sphere and the destructive force it exercises around the web? On Wednesday, the PP Blog received repeated spams from U.S.-based IPs. The spammer used the handle “invest liberty reserve” and targeted two threads, including this one about JSS Tripler 2, a…

Mar 9, 2012
6 Pitchmen Who Raised Funds Plowed Into Jeffrey Mowen’s Ponzi Sanctioned By SEC On Heels Of Long-Running Lawsuit; Alleged Offering Fraud’s Advertised Monthly Payout Rate 20 Times LOWER Than JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid

UPDATED 7:43 A.M. ET (MARCH 9, U.S.A.) If ever there has been a cautionary tale for HYIP pitchmen, it is Jeffrey Lane Mowen’s Utah Ponzi scheme. Mowen and at least six promoters ended up inspiring litigation on multiple fronts, with Mowen charged criminally. At issue was Mowen’s Forex Ponzi scheme, which allegedly was funded in…

Mar 8, 2012
RECOMMENDED READING: Kautilya Nandan Pruthi, Author Of Britain’s Largest Ponzi Swindle, Sentenced To More Than 14 Years And Faces Deportation; While Con Man Faces Years Behind Bars, The Purported Return Rate of JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid Dwarfs That Of ‘Britain’s Bernard Madoff’

This is a links post on the prison sentence of more than 14 years handed down to Kautilya Nandan Pruthi, the so-called Bernard Madoff of Britain. See The Sun’s coverage here. Outtake (italics added): “Judge Michael Gledhill QC said: “You are an extremely intelligent, articulate, sophisticated and plausible liar. In short, a professional fraudster.” See…

Mar 8, 2012
BULLETIN: Already Under Scrutiny, JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid May Be Using ‘Regional Reps’ To Increase Ponzi Reach Over National Borders

BULLETIN: The PP Blog has learned that JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid is publishing a page in which it advertises the availability of “regional representatives” in various parts of the world, including Italy. On Jan. 23, CONSOB, the Italian securities regulator, took action against certain JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid affiliaties. Despite the CONSOB action, JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid is openly advertising that…

Mar 3, 2012
WILLFUL BLINDNESS: With Legisi Operator Now Convicted Of Wire Fraud, HYIP Colleague And Fellow Ponzi-Forum Darling Nicholas Smirnow Of Pathway To Prosperity Listed As ‘Wanted’ By INTERPOL; Meanwhile, Cheerleading For JSS Tripler Continues

After the news broke yesterday that Gregory N. McKnight, the accused operator of the Legisi HYIP Ponzi scheme, had pleaded guilty to wire fraud in a $72 million caper, things only got worse for the serial Ponzi-forum cheerleaders — not that they’re likely to abandon their practice of willful blindness while reaching across oceans to…

Feb 25, 2012
UPDATE: JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid Promoters Now Trading On The Name And Image Of Actress Lindsay Lohan; Video Promo Appears After Earlier YouTube Removals — And Even As CONSOB Probe Under Way In Italy

After earlier trading on the names of Warren Buffett and Oprah Winfrey and even fictional spaceman “Mr. Spock,” promoters of JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid now are trading on the name of actress Lindsay Lohan. A 1:14 YouTube promo for JSS Tripler/JustBeenPaid dated Feb. 14, 2012 — Valentine’s Day — flashes images of Lohan throughout the video. The…

Feb 23, 2012
Investigators Outline Darren Berg’s Ponzi Haul: ‘Stunning’ Greed, Top Prosecutor Says; ‘No Moral Compass,’ Judge Comments When Ordering Washington State Schemer To Spend 18 Years In Jail

“The greed in this case is stunning. [Frederick Darren Berg] stole and squandered the dreams of hundreds: dreams of retirement, dreams of homeownership, dreams of a college education for their children and grandchildren. While we could not restore those dreams, today he was held accountable for his acts.” — U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan, Western…

Feb 10, 2012
In Wake Of CONSOB Action, Affiliate ‘Press Release’ Calls JSS Tripler Members ‘Investors’ EIGHT Times And Suggests U.S. Government Approves Purported ‘Program’ That Advertises Return Rate That Dwarfs Madoff

You can’t make this stuff up . . . A week after CONSOB, the Italian securities regulator, announced it was opening a probe into the activities of JSS Tripler promoters amid claims the absurd “program” advertised returns that would make Bernard Madoff blush, a new “press release” ignores the CONSOB development, calls participants “investors” (eight…

Jan 30, 2012
‘Uniform’ Ponzi Swindler Richard Elkinson, 78, Sentenced To 102 Months In Federal Prison; 20-Year Scheme Collapsed After Arrest Of Bernard Madoff

Richard Elkinson, the 78-year-old Ponzi swindler whose promissory notes scheme gathered $29 million over 20 years, has been sentenced to 102 months in federal prison. Elkinson resided in Framingham, Mass., and told investors he was in the business of providing uniforms to the government and other entities. But it was all a scam that lured…

Nov 29, 2011
SIDNEY AND CHARLOTTE HANSON FOREX PONZI: Federal Judge Orders Orders Tens Of Millions Of Dollars In Restitution, Penalties And Disgorgement

U.S. District Judge Robert J. Conrad Jr. of the Western District of North Carolina has ordered tens of millions of dollars in restitution, penalties and disgorgement in the civil Ponzi case against Sidney and Charlotte Hanson. The CFTC charged the North Carolina couple and their “Queen Shoals” companies in 2009, alleging a Forex Ponzi scheme…

Nov 3, 2011
BULLETIN: Judge Finds That Purported Forex ‘Experts’ Used Bogus Website, Former High School Coaches And J.C. Penney Sales Clerks In Scheme That Funneled Millions To Ponzi Schemer Now Jailed With Bernard Madoff

EDITOR’S NOTE: Both the CFTC and SEC have encountered incredibly elaborate fraud schemes — some with elements that only can be described as bizarre and deeply disturbing. The story below is based on a fraud case brought by the CFTC against Gary D. Martin and Brenda K. Martin of St. Augustine, Fla. The Martins are…

Aug 9, 2011