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Tag: U.S. Postal Inspection Service

KABOOM! Feds Release Info On ‘Alpha Trade Group’ Forex Scheme With Ties To Mexico, Panama; Records Suggest Scheme Was Collapsing Even Prior To Promos On TalkGold, MoneyMakerGroup Forums

Yet another HYIP scheme pushed on the TalkGold and MoneyMakerGroup forums has been outlined by federal prosecutors — this time in Florida. The name of the scheme was Alpha Trade Group (ATG), and web records show that the scheme was pitched on TalkGold and MoneyMakerGroup beginning on Oct. 7, 2009. Court records, meanwhile, show that…

Aug 23, 2010
Judge Extends Asset Freeze In Matt Gagnon Fraud Case; Issues Order To Preserve Evidence And Require Weekly Financial Report To SEC

A federal judge has extended the freeze on the assets of a website operator accused by the SEC of shilling for a Ponzi schemer and then trying to extort money from the schemer when the fraud was collapsing. Severe restrictions placed on Mazu.com operator Matt Gagnon by U.S. District Judge George Caram Steeh of the…

Aug 2, 2010
PONZI NEWS/NOTES: Judge Says Matthew Pizzolato ‘Swindled The Salt Of The Earth’; Feds Allege New Scheme In New York; Henri Zogaib Arrested Again In Florida

EDITOR’S NOTE: The briefs below summarize recent developments in Ponzi cases or actions in new Ponzi cases. Sentenced: Matthew B. Pizzolato, 26, Tickfaw, La. Ripped off senior citizens in Ponzi scheme. In sentencing Pizzolato to 30 years in federal prison, U. S. District Judge Lance M. Africk said Pizzolato â€œstole from hard working Americansâ€ and…

Jul 23, 2010
SCAMMER’S GAMBLE BACKFIRES: Fraudster Who Chilled Customer With Lawsuit Threat Pleads Guilty To Mail Fraud; Philip Pestrichello Faces Up To 20 Years In Prison After Plea In ‘Work-At-Home’ Caper

UPDATED 4:51 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) A convicted felon who emerged from prison and almost immediately launched a $1 million fraud scheme known as PPSN threatened to prosecute and sue a consumer who had filed an online complaint, federal prosecutors said. Although the threat caused the consumer to withdraw the complaint against Philip Pestrichello, Pestrichello’s bid…

Jul 19, 2010
Atlanta Journal Constitution: 3 Floridians Charged In Alleged $425 Million ‘Yellow Pages’ Directory Scam; Separate Research Shows Brother Of 1 Of The Defendants Is International Fugitive

The Atlanta Journal Constitution and the Florida Times Union are reporting that three Jacksonville-area residents have been charged in an alleged $425 million fraud scheme involving mass solicitations for the renewal of dubious “Yellow Pages” listings. Separately, the brother of one of the defendants is listed as an international fugitive by the U.S. Postal Inspection…

Jul 3, 2010
Postal Inspectors, IRS Say Canadian Promoted ‘Series’ Of HYIP Frauds; Randi A. Bochinski Arrested In British Columbia, Faces U.S. Indictment

Still promoting HYIP frauds on the Ponzi boards and elsewhere? A Canadian citizen was arrested in British Columbia June 3 and now has been indicted in the United States on charges of wire fraud, mail fraud and money-laundering, authorities said. Randi A. Bochinski, 46, of Kelowna, B.C., potentially faces decades in prison and huge fines…

Jun 24, 2010
OFFICIALS: Ponzi Schemes, Investment Fraud Have Led To Staggering Losses In Utah; Hundreds Of Potential Perpetrators Identified

UPDATED 8:38 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) Recent Ponzi schemes and cases of investment fraud have cost Utah residents an estimated $1.4 billion, the FBI said today. About 370 investigative “subjects” — defined as “potential perpetrators” in current cases — have been identified, and the agency and its law-enforcement partners have embarked on a public awareness and…

Jun 13, 2010
KABOOM! Affidavit In Pathway To Prosperity Case Paints Picture Of Wanton Criminality; Complaint References TalkGold, ASAMonitor, MoneyMakerGroup Posts; United States Throws Down Gauntlet

Federal prosecutors serving under U.S. Attorney A. Courtney Cox of the Southern District of Illinois have thrown down the gauntlet, declaring that “[a] large percentage, if not all, HYIPs, are Ponzi schemes.” In a criminal complaint and accompanying affidavit that only can be described as remarkable, prosecutors and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said the…

May 31, 2010
OBTAINED: Feds’ Affidavit In Nick Smirnow/P2P Case; Full Story To Follow

The PP Blog has obtained an affidavit filed by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in the Nicholas A. Smirnow/Pathway To Prosperity (P2P) case. Smirnow was charged criminally Friday with operating an international Ponzi scheme that fleeced more than 40,000 investors. Smirnow, according to investigators, has: A. A 2002 conviction for the crime of breaking and…

May 31, 2010
Nicholas A. Smirnow, Pathway To Prosperity (P2P) Operator, A ‘Convicted Burglar, Robber And Drug Dealer’ Who Fleeced At Least 40,000 People In International Ponzi Scheme

Here is how Pathway To Prosperity (P2P), operated by Nicholas A. Smirnow, was described by members of the indefatigable, Ponzi-pushing ASA Monitor forum in 2007: “Just talked with Nick today on the phone,” one member said. “I always enjoy talking with him — honest and straightforward.” “This one is a WINNER,” another crowed. “People, you…

May 29, 2010
Feds, State Team Up In Virginia To Short-Circuit White-Collar Crime Wave; ‘All Too Clear’ Problem National In Scope, Top Federal Prosecutor Says

Calling it an “unprecedented partnership” brought about by a financial-fraud problem that is national in scope, federal and state officials today announced the creation of the Virginia Financial and Securities Fraud Task Force. The Virginia Task Force, which is part of President Obama’s interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, brings together criminal investigators and civil…

May 21, 2010