Tag: U.S. Postal Inspection Service
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UPDATE: Eliott Jay Dresher Pleads Guilty In $13.5 Million Ponzi Scheme That Traded On Famous ‘NASCAR’ Brand
UPDATE: Eliott Jay Dresher, the California man whose Ponzi scheme traded on the famous racing brand of NASCAR, now faces up to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty in Los Angeles to mail fraud. Dresher, 64, of Chatsworth, was jailed in December 2009 in a case brought by the FBI and the U.S.…
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BULLETIN: FLORIDA — AGAIN (UPDATE): James Risher Ponzi Scheme Used Pitchman Who Targeted Teachers, Retirees, Church Members, Golfers, SEC Says; Risher Had 5 Prior Criminal Convictions; Pitchman Daniel Joseph Sebastian Now Charged Civilly
“[Y]ou invest in this fund and all of a sudden you start making more money than you’ve ever made in your life with your investors. And then all of a sudden you start making enough money where you don’t have to go to work . . . [a]t Safe Harbor, you could retire today, like…
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Millions Of Dollars In Payments To Accountant, 73, Provided Him ‘Powerful Incentive’ To Look The Other Way As Joseph Forte Pulled Off $75 Million Ponzi Scheme, SEC Says
Joseph S. Forte, one of the earliest of the so-called mini-Madoffs, was sentenced in November 2009 to 15 years in federal prison — slightly more than a year in jail for each year his 13-year scheme operated. The SEC now says he had help from an accountant who looked the other way because Forte, a failed…
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Man Who Fled To Philippines After Bizop Scam Was Exposed By Postal Inspectors Sentenced To 125 Months In Federal Prison; Robert Nicol Bilked More Than $5 Million In Utah-Based Fraud Ventures
A man who ran a Utah-based fraud scheme has been sentenced by a federal judge in Florida to 125 months behind bars. Robert Nicol initially fled to a remote section of the Philippines after the U.S. Postal Inspection Service executed a search warrant in an investigation of Gold Star Vending Inc. in 2007. But authorities…
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UPDATE: Blurb For Club Asteria Executive Reappears On Website; Separately, Promoter ‘Ken Russo’ Says On TalkGold Ponzi Forum That The ‘Next Couple Of Months Will Tell The Story’
A blurb for Hank Needham has reappeared on the Club Asteria website after having been missing for days. The blurb appears to have gone missing sometime between June 19 and June 24, but is back on the site today. Separately, promoter “Ken Russo,” who posts as “DRdave” on the TalkGold Ponzi scheme and criminals’ forum,…
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TV, Web Pitchman Donald Lapre Arraigned In ‘Medical Facility’ After Arrest By Federal Agents; Accused Huckster Recovering From ‘Self-Inflicted’ Wounds To Legs After Missing Court Date
He called it “The Greatest Vitamin in the World.” Federal prosecutors in Arizona, however, called it conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud, promotional money-laundering and transactional money-laundering, accusing Donald Lapre of selling “essentially worthless” Internet businesses to more than 226,000 victims. And now Lapre, 47, is under arrest. Prosecutors said he skipped a June 22 court…
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FLORIDA — AGAIN: Postal Inspectors Say Recidivist Felon With 24 Bank Accounts And Undisclosed Criminal History Bilked Investors In $20 Million Scam; James Risher Arrested Before He Could Take Flight To Bermuda
A recidivist securities felon tied to at least 24 bank accounts had an airline ticket for Bermuda last week but was arrested in Florida before he could get offshore after scamming investors in a long-running fraud scheme that had gathered $20 million, according to law-enforcement officials. Charged in a criminal complaint by the U.S. Postal…
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URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: Former NASDAQ Managing Director Charged Criminally, Sued Civilly In Insider-Trading Case; Donald L. Johnson Pleads Guilty To Criminal Securities Fraud Amid Allegations He Cherry-Picked Information While Serving As Stock-Exchange Gatekeeper
URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: A former managing director of the NASDAQ stock exchange has been charged by both the SEC and federal prosecutors in an insider-trading case. Donald L. Johnson, 56, of Ashburn, Va., already has pleaded guilty on the criminal side of things, the Justice Department said. For its part, the SEC said…