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Greenwich Investment Firm Founder Stole Millions In Clients' Cash: Feds
A 49-year-old Connecticut man faces potentially decades in prison after he allegedly defrauded and stole $3.5 million of his client's money for years, federal authorities said.
Justin C. Murphy, 49, of Stamford, is charged with 15 counts of wire fraud, five counts of money laundering, and three counts of tax evasion, the US Attorney for Connecticut announced on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Murphy ran the Greenwich-based investment firm Mara. The company also went by Mara Investment Group, LLC, Mara Investment Management LP, and Mara Investments Global Management LLC.
Federal inv…
‘Trusted Lieutenant’ Of Westchester College Sex-Cult Leader Admits To Conspiracy
A former Westchester County college student who fell under the spell of convicted sex-cult leader Larry Ray has pleaded guilty to conspiring to launder money for his illegal dealings.
Isabella Pollok, age 31, a former student at Sarah Lawrence College, located near the border of Yonkers and Bronxville, who was described as Ray's "trusted lieutenant," pleaded guilty on Wednesday, Sept. 7 to one count related to Ray's twisted plot in Manhattan federal court.
Ray, now age 62, will be sentenced in December on more than a dozen charges, including extortion, sex trafficking, and racketeering cons…
5 CT Men Indicted For Scheme To Steal, Sell Catalytic Converters
An investigation into stolen catalytic converters across Connecticut has resulted in federal charges against five men accused of running a multi-state trafficking ring.
A federal grand jury in New Haven returned a nine-count indictment Tuesday, Aug. 16, charging the following individuals:
Alexander Kolitsas, age 28, of Wolcott;
Bryant Bermudez, age 31, of East Hartford;
Roberto Alicea, age 30, of New Britain;
Francisco Ayala, age 22, of Ansonia;
Theodore Owens, age 21, of Hartford.
Federal prosecutors said Bermudez began working for Kolitsas in November 2021 at his business, Downpipe D…
Fairfield County Resident Sentenced For Defrauding Investors, Ordered To Pay $1.5 Million
A man from Fairfield County will spend three years in federal prison for defrauding investors.
Samuel Klein, age 66, of Greenwich, was sentenced to 36 months behind bars Tuesday, May 3.
It followed a guilty plea in which Klein admitted to making false representations to an investor in his company, Visual Group LLC, in 2018, the US Attorney’s Office said.
He allegedly told the victim that their $200,000 check would be invested in distressed debt despite knowing that not all of the money would be used for that purpose, prosecutors said.
Distressed debt is another term for bonds that are b…
CT Trio Found Guilty In $5 Million Fraud Scheme
Three former Connecticut residents were found guilty of charges related to their participation in scams that defrauded hundreds of victims across the United States of a total of more than $5 million.
Farouq Fasasi, age 27, 31-year-old Rodney Thomas Jr., and 32-year-old Ralph Pierre, all ex-New Haven residents, were convicted on Tuesday, Feb. 15, of conspiracy, fraud and money laundering offenses, according to US Attorney Leonard Boyle.
Between August of 2015 and March of 2020, Fasasi, Thomas and others participated in lottery scams and romance scams to get victims to send them money, gift c…
