Tampa Man Sentenced to Five Years of Probation and Ordered to Pay Restitution for Role in Investment Fraud

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. 

Troiano is alleged to have pitched a victim a home business opportunity involving a membership organization called EFM Worldwide. Following the failure of that business, he convinced the victim to invest $50,000 in an investment opportunity that guaranteed a monthly income. Troiano falsely claimed that the investment was connected to TIGER 21, an exclusive global community of high-net-worth entrepreneurs, investors, and executives. He emailed the victim monthly statements reflecting trades made in the account and monthly balances. The investigation revealed that the representations in the statements were fraudulent, and that Troiano edited legitimate statements he received in connection with a brokerage account of his own to make them appear as if the account belonged to the victim, and that the account balance continued to rise.

This case was investigated by the OFR and prosecuted by the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office.