Case Updates

11/14/2024

Efrain Enrique Betancourt, Jr. was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Betancourt is the former Chief Executive Officer, managing member, and sole owner of Sky Group USA, LLC.

11/06/2024

Sanjay Singh, of Coral Springs, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, six counts of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering for his role in an investment fraud scheme that duped investors out of approximately $53 million.

10/25/2024

David Bruce Cohen, of Boca Raton, was convicted of two counts of grand theft and one count of money laundering for his role in an investment scheme that defrauded a Florida resident out of nearly $2.5 million.

10/15/2024

Juan Tacuri, of Greenacres, Florida, was sentenced to 240 months in prison for his role in a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme operating as “Forcount” that defrauded victims out of approximately $8.4 million. Tacuri was additionally sentenced to one year of supervised release and ordered to forfeit nearly $4 million and certain real estate purchased with victims’ funds. He was also ordered to pay more than $3.6 million in restitution. The sentence follows a guilty plea to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

08/06/2024

Avinash Singh, of Orlando, was sentenced to 24 years in prison for his role in defrauding more than 1,100 victims nationwide out of approximately $57 million. Additionally, he was ordered to forfeit all the proceeds he obtained from the fraud, as well as any property he obtained through investors’ money. This sentence follows Singh’s guilty plea to charges of wire fraud and money laundering, in May 2024.

06/27/2024

Lucille Poag, of North Miami, pleaded guilty to a charge of organized fraud in connection with a long-running fraudulent loan scheme that defrauded approximately 240 potential homebuyers out of more than $420,000 for more than a decade. Poag was sentenced to serve 48 months in prison to be followed by 24 months of supervised release. The court also ordered Poag to pay restitution to certain victims who filed statements of harm with the court.

06/05/2024

Juan Tacuri, of Greenacres, entered a plea of guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that defrauded victims across the globe out of approximately $8.4 million. As part of his guilty plea, Tacuri agreed to forfeit nearly $4 million in victim investor money and certain real estate he had purchased with victim funds.

05/31/2024

Kevin John Therrell surrendered and was booked into Lee County jail on charges that included securities fraud, communications fraud, and the unlicensed sale of securities. The charges stem from his alleged role in defrauding investors out of more than $136,000 through the sale of fraudulent stock certificates

05/07/2024

Avinash Singh, of Orlando, entered a guilty plea to two counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering for his role in defrauding more than 1,100 victims nationwide out of approximately $57 million.

03/06/2024

Stanley Michel, of Miramar, was sentenced to a 36-month federal prison term to be followed by 60 months of supervised release for his role in defrauding the CARES Act pandemic relief Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) through fraudulent loan applications. He was also ordered to pay $288, 698 in restitution.

02/27/2024

Sammie Sue Doss, aka Sammie Sue Trevino, was sentenced to a term of 30 months in prison to be followed by seven years of probation. Doss was also banned from employment in the financial services industry and from having any communication with her victims. Additionally, she was ordered to pay $17,900 in restitution.

02/16/2024

Former investment adviser Matthew Muratori, of Clearwater, was arrested on charges of elderly exploitation, grand theft, identity theft, and scheme to defraud related to the alleged embezzlement of an elderly client's funds

02/14/2024

Miguel "Mike" Angel Perez, of New Port Richey, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for orchestrating a real estate investment scam that defrauded 27 investors out of approximately $1.7 million over an eight-year period. The sentencing follows a jury verdict which found Perez guilty of multiple counts of racketeering, larceny, and mortgage fraud in connection with the scheme.

02/02/2024

Gary Gauthier, of Seminole, was sentenced to 5 years in prison to be followed by 15 years of probation for his role in a Ponzi scheme that defrauded Florida investors out of more than $6 million. The sentencing follows a guilty plea to charges of racketeering, conspiracy to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, sale of unregistered securities, sale of securities by an unregistered dealer, securities fraud, and organized fraud. Gauthier’s co-conspirator and a former CPA, David Dreslin pled guilty to charges of racketeering, sale of unregistered securities, securities fraud and organized fraud for his role in the scheme. Gauthier and Dreslin were ordered to pay $6,252,469.79 in restitution.

02/01/2024

Phillip Roy Wasserman, of Sarasota, a former lawyer and insurance agent, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud as well as evasion of payment of income taxes. As part of his sentence, the court order him to forfeit $6,318,299.75. The sentencing follows a jury verdict.

01/29/2024

Brian Peter Troiano, of Tampa, was sentenced to 60 months of probation and ordered to pay $46,000 in restitution connection with a fraudulent investment offering. He was also ordered to serve 50 hours of community service and to not have any contact with victims or invest or trade stocks for others. The sentencing followed a guilty plea to charges of grand theft and selling unregistered securities for his role in an investment scam.

01/04/2024

David Aubel, aka David Kost, was sentenced to serve 14 years in state prison to be followed by 10 years of probation for his role in an investment scheme that defrauded 12 Florida investors out of approximately $2.4 million. Additionally, on October 23, 2023, Aubel’s former business partner, Nelson Garcia entered a plea of no contest to charges of criminal conspiracy and unlicensed telemarketing for his role in the scheme and was sentenced to five years’ probation.