International Law

Brixon Group Ponzi Guilty Plea

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From the FBI Press Release about the Brixon Group ponzi.

United States Attorney Karen P. Hewitt announced that Donald Manning pled guilty today to conspiracy and wire fraud charges in U.S. District Court in San Diego before the Honorable Barry Ted Moskowitz.

According to Assistant United States Attorneys William Cole and John Owens, who are prosecuting the case, Manning was the President of a Ponzi scheme called the "Brixon Group."

Along with coconspirators Joseph Wayne McCool and Cameron Campbell, Manning recruited retirees and members of his own family to invest millions of dollars in the Brixon Group.

Manning told investors that the Brixon Group guaranteed large, guaranteed returns and that the investments were risk free.

Manning also told investors that part of their investment would go toward humanitarian efforts overseas and that co-defendant McCool was a banking expert who, prior to working with Brixon, had successfully managed a large private trust in Europe.

As part of his guilty plea, Manning admitted that he and his coconspirators, in fact, intentionally concealed from investors that most of the money invested in Brixon would not be placed into investments and that new funds received from investors would be used to make payments to earlier investors.

Manning further admitted that, through the Brixon scheme, he and his coconspirators converted much of the investors' money to their own personal use. Both the United States Attorney's Office and the FBI acknowledged the assistance of the Arizona Corporation Commission in the investigation.

Manning's co-defendant, Cameron Campbell, previously pleaded guilty and is currently serving a 63- month sentence in federal prison.

Law enforcement continues to seek the public's assistance in locating Joseph Wayne McCool, whose whereabouts are currently unknown. Sentencing for Manning is scheduled for April 15, 2009 at 10:30 a.m., before Judge Moskowitz.

Full post as published by Misleading Advertising Law on January 22, 2009 (boomark / email).