Posted by Kathy Bazoian Phelps
Below is a summary of the activity reported for March 2021. The reported stories reflect at least 5 new Ponzi schemes worldwide, 3 guilty pleas, about 50 years of prison sentences, and an average age of approximately 47 for the alleged Ponzi schemers. Please feel free to post comments about these or other Ponzi schemes that I may have missed.
Jose Angel Aman, 51, of Florida, the co-founder of Argyle Coin, was banned from the securities industry but also released from an obligation to pay a $4.5 million fine to the SEC after more than $23.8 million was paid to the SEC in restitution in a parallel case. Aman operated three successive Ponzi schemes and was sentenced to 7 years in prison in 2019.
Gina Champion-Cain, 57, of California was sentenced to 15 years in prison in connection with a Ponzi scheme run through American National Investments and ANI Development. The scheme took in at least $372 million from more than 490 investors and caused losses of $180 million. Champion-Cain promised high returns from supposed high-interest loans to license applicants who needed money while their applications were pending before the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
Natalie Cochran, 38, of West Virginia, was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months in prison in connection with a $2.5 million Ponzi scheme that she had run with her late husband, Michael Cochran. The scheme was run through Tactical Solutions Group and Technology Management Systems, and the pair said they had contracts to provide weapons to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Chris A. Dantin, Christopher D. Dantin, David P. Ortiz, and Andrew L. White were charged by the SEC for their involvement in the alleged $320 million scheme run through 1 Global Capital that defrauded 3,600 investors. The scheme was run by Carl Ruderman and promised returns from short terms loans to small and medium sized businesses. The four sales agents earned commissions in connection with the sales of the investments when they were not registered as broker-dealers.
Shawn C. Cutting, of Idaho, was the subject of an emergency enforcement action brought by the SEC. Cutting allegedly raised $6.9 million for a fraudulent digital asset investment pool and represented that he was an experienced financial advisor to raise funds from over 450 investors. His wife, Janine Cutting, and Crypto Traders Management and Golden Cross Investments are listed as relief defendants.
Damon Elliott and his company Piptastic Ltd, a London-based trading and investment firm, had default judgment entered against them in connection with an SEC complaint alleged they ran a speculative trading Ponzi scheme. Elliott solicited investors to engage in spread trading or spreadbet trading. About $9 million was raised from investors. Piptastic must pay more than $7.7 as a civil fine on top of a $16.3 million judgment.
Andres Fernandez, 38, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $31 million restitution. in connection with a scheme he ran through Kadaae Entertainment. Fernandez defrauded at least 81 people by telling them that his company produced events with top artists when, in reality, he had no affiliation with any major musicians.
Tytus W. Harkins, 38, of Colorado, and his company, Hartman Wright Group LLC, lost against the SEC’s claims relating to an alleged $8 million Ponzi scheme. The scheme involved mobile home parks.
Tanmaya Kabra, 27, reached a plea deal relating to a scheme that promised returns of up to 32% from supposed investments in startup companies. The scheme involved at least $250,000.
Scott Kohn was ordered to pay $501 million in a case brought by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Kohn and his companies bought and sold military veterans’ benefits and deceived veterans by promising them exorbitant interest rates associated with cash advances. They were ordered to pay $65 million in penalties and $436 million in restitution to thousands of veterans and pensioners.
Al Parish, 63, who spent over a decade in prison for his involvement in a Ponzi scheme, was granted a compassionate release. He served 153 months of his 249-month prison sentence. About 500 investors lost $64 million in connection with the scheme
Matthew R. Peterson, 51, of Missouri, was sentenced to 8 years and one month in prison and ordered to pay approximately $2.5 million in restitution in connection with a $6 million Ponzi scheme. Peterson previously pleaded guilty to running a sports betting fraudulent investment scheme in which he created fictitious spreadsheets, financial statements, and betting reports. The scheme defrauded at least 37 investors.
Benjamin Reynolds was ordered to pay $572 million in penalties and restitution in connection a Bitcoin Ponzi scheme. Reynolds was the director of trading firm Control-Finance Ltd. and lured over 1,000 clients to deposit 22,858 bitcoins that were at the time worth $143 million and are now worth closer to $1.3 billion. Investors were promised 1.5% returns a day, or 45% per month.
Robert W. Walton Jr., of Ohio, was indicted in connection with an alleged Ponzi-like scheme run through Hadsell Chemical Processing, a chemical processing company. Walton raised $12 million by selling promissory notes to 65 investors with promised returns of 10% to 15%.
Anthony Zacharias, 49, was sentenced to 5 ½ years in prison in connection with a travel agent Ponzi scheme that left clients stranded overseas. Zacharias hid the fraud from his company by using false credit cards and separate phone numbers and by telling clients not to contact the business and deal with him directly.
INTERNATIONAL PONZI SCHEME NEWS
Canada
Arnold Breitreutz and Susan Elizabeth Way each pleaded guilty in connection with a scheme run through Base Financial Inc. They pleaded guilty in connection with the scheme that defrauded 107 people out of $27 million. Investors were promised returns from investments supposedly secured by first mortgages on residential properties.
Brian Kitts, 65, and his wife, Shannon Kitts, 55, were charged in connection with an alleged $4.3 million Ponzi scheme run through Vesta Capcorp Inc. and Vesta Equity Partners. The scheme alleged defrauded 38 investors by promising returns at a monthly rate as high as 20% through what were supposedly real estate financing firms.
China
Seven people were taken into custody in connection with an alleged Ponzi scheme run through an automobile club. The suspects ran a car dealership called “Yuelong” and promised high returns for recruitment of new members. More than 3,700 people participated and over $1.5 million was collected.
India
Niftech Global Private Limited is being investigated as a possible Ponzi scheme. Investors were promised monthly returns of 4%
Authorities warned about alleged fraudulent schemes run through Oksome.in and ‘Super like.’
G. Ramesh, the managing director of Universal Trading Solutions Pvt Ltd., was detained on allegations that he defrauded over 1,000 investors.
Sudeer Muhammed Cheriya Vannarakkal was arrested in connection with a scheme called Forex Trade that promised investors 2% per month.
Nigeria
Maryam Abu Shinga was convicted on charges that she ran a scheme promising 300% profit to investors. Investors were promised returns from a gold mining investment, but the funds never went into the investment.
Singapore
Ng Yu Zhi, 33, was charged in connection with a scheme run through Envy Asset Management and Envy Global Trading that involved at least $1 billion. About $300 million of the $1 billion invested was transferred to Zhi’s personal account, and about $100 million of his assets have been seized by authorities.
Thailand
Sawika “Pinky” Chaidet, along with her mother Sarinya and brother Sarayut, were charged in connection with the Forex-3D scheme. The Forex-3D was run by Apiruk Kothi aka Apiruk Krub, and defrauded about 9,700 investors out of 1.9 billion baht (over $66 million). The scheme offered investors 60% to 80% returns in foreign currency investments.
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