PatrickPretty.com

Tag: Los Angeles County Jail

  • ANOTHER MYTH-BUSTING CASE: On The Lam From Greater Los Angeles For 5 Years, Ponzi Fugitive John Chiyuan Lee Arrested In Thailand And Extradited To The United States

    CAPTURED: John Chiyuan Lee. Source: INTERPOL

    One of the enduring myths of the Ponzi boards — “offshore equals safe” — has been shattered again. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says it got its man — with help from the government of Thailand, the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

    Ponzi scheme suspect John Chiyuan Lee became a fugitive in November 2006, when he fled Greater Los Angeles for Thailand after being identified as a thief. Victims emerged from at least four California counties — Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura and Santa Clara — and at least one victim resided in St. George, Utah, authorities said.

    INTERPOL published a “Wanted” notice on Lee, according to records.

    The case was assigned to Los Angeles Sheriff’s Det. Simeon Plyler, who discovered at least 29 victims and used passport records and worked with ICE to track Lee to Thailand.

    “ICE agents enlisted the assistance of Thailand authorities who were able to locate and arrest him in Pataya, Thailand, on October 4, 2011,” the Sheriff’s Department said. “Deputies with the U.S. Marshals Service assisted in the case by transporting Lee back to the United States from Thailand to face criminal charges.”

    Lee, 40, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport and taken to the Los Angeles County Jail. Bail was set at $1.869 million, according to jail records. He remains jailed.

    Victims’ losses ranged from $3,000 to $425,000, authorities said.

    Residents of California communities such as Culver City, Hancock Park, Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, Huntington Beach, Lakewood, Los Angeles, Marina del Rey, Morgan Hill, San Pedro, Shadow Hills, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Thousand Oaks, Valley Village, Van Nuys, Ventura, West Hollywood, West Los Angeles and Westwood were among the victims, authorities said.

    Patch.com is reporting that Lee was a trainer at a Culver City gym — and all of his victims worked out at the facility.

  • Local Police In California Uncover Ponzi Scheme While Investigating Woman For Unrelated Crime; Ponzi Targeted At Latin Immigrants

    Police in Redondo Beach, Calif., say they were investigating Mariana Montes for a separate crime and seeking her arrest on a warrant, but discovered during their probe that she had wiped out investors by running a Ponzi scheme targeting Latin immigrants.

    Montes, 41, now is jailed on the original warrant, and the Ponzi investigation is proceeding as a separate matter.

    Police said the Ponzi was operated through a bogus company known as “Fast Results Investments.” Montes met with individual investors beginning in 2007, and promised clients who invested a minimum of $5,000 returns of 25 percent within 30 to 90 days.

    At least 55 victims have been identified in the opening days of the probe, police said today.

    Some of the victims “invested their entire life savings or complete retirement account balances,” police said.

    “Montes used the investors’ money to purchase designer clothing, a new vehicle and to fund her daily activities,” police said.

    Police said their preliminary estimate of $500,000 in losses likely would rise, perhaps significantly.

    “It is believed that there are many more victims of Montes’ Ponzi scheme that have not yet been identified,” police said, noting that they already have evidence that Montes was conducting business in Arizona.

    Investigators at the Redondo Beach Police Department have established a special telephone line for possible victims. The phone line has information in both English and Spanish.

    The Police Department is urging any possible victims of this Ponzi scheme to call 310- 379-2477 Ext. 2332.

    Montes is being held in the Los Angeles County jail, on a warrant for “another financial crime” unrelated to the Ponzi scheme, police said. Jail records show the crime was a felony, but the specific crime was not defined.

    Bail was set at $572,465.