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Author: Starr Austen

13 October
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Lebanon insurance broker charged in $4M investment fraud

Posted by Starr Austen
in Securities Fraud
A Lebanon insurance broker was charged with six counts of Wire Fraud for a $4 million investment fraud.

by: Divine Triplett WISHTV.com INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A Lebanon insurance broker was charged with six counts of Wire Fraud for a $4 million investment fraud. He was arrested Wednesday and made his initial court appearance in Indianapolis Wednesday afternoon. According to court documents, Brian Simms, 44, of Lebanon, was a licensed insurance broker with his company Brendanwood Financial Brokerage LLC. Prosecutors say Simms wasn’t licensed to sell securities, nor was he registered to provide financial advising services. In 2013, court papers say Simms began convincing clients to cash out or liquidate their traditional and long-term insurance products and investments, and reinvest the funds with...

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07 October
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Kentucky Fraudster is Sentenced to 10 Years for Investment Fraud

Posted by Starr Austen
in Securities Fraud
Kentucky Fraudster is Sentenced to 10 Years for Investment Fraud

A judge recently sentenced Kentucky resident, William S. Evans, to 10 years in prison for bilking a group of his friends, clients, and acquaintances out of more than $17 million dollars with fraudulent promises of high investment returns.  Instead of investing his clients’ monies, Evans used these funds to live a lavish lifestyle.  Most of those folks who were defrauded were elderly who took their hard-earned retirement accounts to invest with him based on his false promises of double-digit returns.  The crime spree extended from 2014 through 2020 before the house of cards Evans built came crashing down.  Evans provided...

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06 August
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Westfield Man Sentenced for Wire Fraud and Money Laundering

Posted by Starr Austen
in Securities Fraud
George S. Blankenbaker Jr., sentenced to 5 years in prison for wire fraud and money laundering.

BY: Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana A Westfield man was sentenced to 5 years in prison for wire fraud and money laundering. He will also serve 3 years of supervised release and was ordered to pay over $1,500,000 in restitution. According to court documents, George S. Blankenbaker Jr., 56, was charged April 1, 2021 with wire fraud and money laundering after an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. Between May 2008 and August 2016, Blankenbaker created three business entities, Stargrower Commercial Bridge Loan Fund 1 LLC, Stargrower Asset Management LLC and EDU Holding Trust. He...

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07 June
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Indiana Woman Convicted Of Conspiracy To Commit Mail Fraud, Wire Fraud, And Money Laundering In Advance-Fee Fraud Scheme Targeting Deaf And Elderly

Posted by Starr Austen
in Latest News
Indiana Woman Convicted Of Conspiracy To Commit Mail Fraud, Wire Fraud, And Money Laundering In Advance-Fee Fraud Scheme Targeting Deaf And Elderly

By: Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Pennsylvania The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on June 2, 2021, Donna L. Summerlin, age 62, of Fortville, Indiana, was convicted following a seven-day jury trial held before United States District Court Judge Jennifer P. Wilson of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. According to Acting United States Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, Summerlin was charged with accepting over $1.2 million from victims of cross-border advance-fee schemes. Many of the identified victims were either elderly, deaf, or both....

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22 December
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Greenwood Man Charged Federally for Alleged $14 Million Fraud Scheme

Posted by Starr Austen
in Securities Fraud
Greenwood Man Charged Federally for Alleged $14 Million Fraud Scheme

By: Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana (https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin) Acting United States Attorney John E. Childress announced today that Daniel R. Fruits, 46, of Greenwood, Indiana, was charged by a federal grand jury for his alleged role in three separate fraud schemes, including a nearly $14 million fraud on an investor, an attempted mortgage fraud, and a vehicle title-washing scheme. “This financial investor gave his hard-earned money to someone whom he thought he could trust,” said Childress. “Instead, the victim’s money ended up in the hands of a self-absorbed thief who only cared about his interests. Living a life...

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01 October
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New Palestine man charged in $1.2M investment fraud scheme

Posted by Starr Austen
in Securities Fraud
A New Palestine man has been charged in the alleged theft of $1.2 million through investment fraud.

By Lydia Gerike of the Indianapolis Star A New Palestine man has been charged in the alleged theft of $1.2 million through investment fraud. Bruce Wayne Ford, 47, faces 11 counts of securities fraud, wire fraud and money laundering, according to a release from Josh Minkler, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. Ford was arrested Sept. 11. Court documents said Ford offered financial advising services through his Greenfield-based Ford Financial and Insurance Services, but neither he nor the company were properly registered to provide those services. “If one investor had checked his registration, his entire scheme would have crumbled," Secretary of State Connie Lawson said in the release. "I encourage...

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09 September
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Fake pastors scam churchgoers out of $28M in Ponzi scheme

Posted by Starr Austen
in Ponzi Scheme
U.S. authorities have charged three Maryland men, who presented themselves as pastors to defraud more than 1,000 church members and other investors in a $28 million Ponzi scheme.

By Anugrah Kumar of Christian Post U.S. authorities have charged three Maryland men, who presented themselves as pastors to defraud more than 1,000 church members and other investors in a $28 million Ponzi scheme. The three – identified as Dennis Mbongeni Jali, 35; John Erasmus Frimpong, 40; and Arley Ray Johnson, 61 – “allegedly recruited investors at churches, presenting themselves as pastors concerned about the investors’ financial freedom,” U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur said in a statement. “The indictment alleges that instead, the defendants used new investments to further their Ponzi scheme and to fund their lavish lifestyles, including luxury vehicles and private...

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05 September
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SEC Updates List of Firms Using Inaccurate Information to Solicit Investors

Posted by Starr Austen
in Latest News
SEC has announced that it updated its list of unregistered entities that use misleading information to solicit primarily non-U.S. investors, adding 23 soliciting entities, eight impersonators of genuine firms, and seven bogus regulators.

Source https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2020-200 The Securities and Exchange Commission has announced that it updated its list of unregistered entities that use misleading information to solicit primarily non-U.S. investors, adding 23 soliciting entities, eight impersonators of genuine firms, and seven bogus regulators. The SEC's list of soliciting entities that have been the subject of investor complaints, known as the Public Alert: Unregistered Soliciting Entities (PAUSE) list (https://www.sec.gov/enforce/public-alerts), enables investors to better inform themselves and avoid being a victim of fraud. The latest additions are firms that SEC staff found were providing inaccurate information about their affiliation, location, or registration. Under U.S. securities laws, firms that solicit investors generally are required to register...

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21 August
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Yet Another Ponzi Scheme

Posted by Starr Austen
in Ponzi Scheme
SEC filed lawsuit against a Wyoming “Live Wealthy Institute” alleging operated a real estate investment scam conning investors out of $170 million.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently filed a lawsuit against a Wyoming man, Dale Tenhulzen and his limited liability company “Live Wealthy Institute” alleging that Tenhulzen and Live Wealthy operated a real estate investment scam conning investors out of $170 million.  The scam roped in over a 1,000 investors in 35 states.  Most of the investors were elderly folks who liquidated their retirement funds for the purpose of investing.  These poor victims were conned with promises of “8 to 10 percent returns” in a very “safe, stable” investment. This alleged scam has all the hallmarks of a classic Ponzi scheme.  REMEMBER: ...

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08 June
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SEC Requires Brokers to Act in Their Clients’ Best Interests

Posted by Starr Austen
in Latest News
The new SEC rule that requires broker-dealers who make recommendations to their customers to act in their clients’ “best interest” takes effect on June 30, 2020.

By Scott L. Starr June 8, 2020 The new Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rule that requires broker-dealers who make recommendations to their customers to act in their clients’ “best interest” takes effect on June 30, 2020.  This is a significant change in the way stockbrokers have historically done their business. The old rule was that brokers need only make “suitable” recommendations to their clients.  Starting June 30, the brokers must at all times act in their clients’ best interests.  That new best interest rule will require the brokers to make complete disclosures about the investments they are recommending. For example, starting June...

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