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Tag: Kristi Johnson

Zeek’s Paul Burks Now In Federal Custody

Paul Burks, the 70-year-old operator of the Zeek Rewards Ponzi scheme, now is listed as prisoner No. 29723-058 at FMC Lexington. The facility is an administrative security federal medical center with an adjacent minimum security satellite camp in Lexington, Ky. After being sentenced in February to more than 14 years, Burks was ordered to report to…

May 2, 2017
Troy Barnes, ‘Achieve Community’ Ponzi Schemer, Sentenced To 33 Months

Troy A. Barnes ran “The Achieve Community” (TAC) scam along with Kristine L. “Kristi” Johnson. Barnes, 53, of Riverview Mich., now has been sentenced to 33 months in federal prison, the office of U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose announced. Johnson, of Colorado, earlier was sentenced to 21 months. Achieve was a Ponzi-board program that used a…

Apr 26, 2017
Kristine Johnson Of ‘The Achieve Community’ Scam Sentenced To 21 Months

2ND UPDATE 8:38 P.M. EDT U.S.A. Kristine Louise “Kristi” Johnson, one of the two principals of “The Achieve Community” (TAC) Ponzi- and pyramid scheme, has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison, the office of U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose of the Western District of North Carolina said moments ago. The SEC sued Johnson…

Feb 14, 2017
As Was Case With DFRF Enterprises And Rojo Filho, YouTube Promos Played Role In Criminal Ponzi Prosecution Of The Achieve Community’s Troy Barnes

Still promoting your securities scam on YouTube? As the PP Blog reported on Oct. 3, YouTube promos for the alleged DFRF Enterprises’ Ponzi scheme were cited in two of three wire-fraud counts against accused operator Daniel Fernandes Rojo Filho. Filho, allegedly at the helm of a fraud that gathered tens of millions of dollars, has…

Nov 5, 2015
FEDS: ‘Achieve Community’ Scam Raked Victims In More Than 140 Countries; Justice Department’s ‘Mega Victim Case Unit’ Called To Duty

Unlike the boffo web-based schemes of TelexFree, Zeek Rewards and AdSurfDaily, the “Achieve Community” scam in which participants were told they’d glean returns of 700 percent did not perform well (relatively speaking) at the MLM Pyramid/Ponzi Scheme Box Office. Achieve’s haul topped out at about $6.8 million, with alleged unfunded liabilities in the range of $50…

Oct 8, 2015
BULLETIN: Feds Seek Information From Victims Of ‘Achieve Community’ Scam

BULLETIN: (2nd updated 8:54 p.m. EDT U.S.A.) The office of Acting U.S. Attorney Jill Westmoreland Rose of the Western District of North Carolina has published a webpage for victims of the “Achieve Community” scam. Victims are asked to “submit information concerning the amount of your losses to the U.S. Probation Office,” which is compiling a…

Jul 30, 2015
Defense Attorney With Ties To Zeek Case Now Representing Kristi Johnson Of Achieve Community In Criminal Case

UPDATED 9:08 A.M. EDT JULY 21 U.S.A. Matthew G. Pruden, an attorney with the Tin Fulton Walker & Owen law firm, is a defense lawyer in the June 2015 criminal case against “Achieve Community” figure Kristine Louise Johnson (Kristi Johnson), according to the docket of the case. North Carolina-based Tin Fulton Walker & Owen also…

Jul 20, 2015
ACHIEVE COMMUNITY’S TROY BARNES: ‘I Am Guilty Of Being Ignorant’

UPDATED 10:10 P.M. EDT U.S.A. His Achieve Community cycler colleague Kristi Johnson now charged both civilly and criminally, Troy A. Barnes is professing ignorance. In a June 22 letter to U.S. Magistrate Judge Craig B. Shaffer of the District of Colorado, Barnes offered reasons for missing a June 3 conference call with the court. The…

Jun 29, 2015
URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: Achieve Community’s Kristi Johnson Charged Criminally

URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: (13th Update 1:43 p.m. EDT U.S.A.) After an investigation by the U.S. Secret Service, Kristi Johnson (Kristine Louise Johnson) of the “Achieve Community” has been charged criminally with wire-fraud conspiracy and has agreed to plead guilty, federal prosecutors said. “By the time the scheme collapsed in February 2015, the conspirators…

Jun 19, 2015
‘Achieve Community’ Issued Cease-And-Desist Order, Accused Of Securities Fraud, Selling Unregistered Securities And Conducting ‘Pure’ Ponzi Scheme In Colorado

BULLETIN: (3rd Update 3:44 p.m. EDT U.S.A.) The Colorado Division of Securities has issued a cease-and-desist order to “Achieve Community” and accused the network-marketing “program” of securities fraud and selling unregistered securities while conducting “a pure Ponzi and pyramid scheme.” The order applies to Achieve, Achieve International LLC, Work with Troy Barnes Inc. and Achieve…

Apr 30, 2015
COLORADO: ‘Achieve Community’ Subject Of ‘Order To Show Cause’

UPDATED 6:17 A.M. EDT APRIL 21 U.S.A. The Colorado Division of Securities has directed an “Order to Show Cause” to “Achieve Community,” alleged in February 2015 by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to be a combined Ponzi- and pyramid scheme that gathered at least $3.8 million. Colorado’s order cites a “Division Case No.” of…

Apr 20, 2015