Boca Raton’s ‘Mailman’ Sodi Busted in $Million Penny Stock Scam

BIRMINGHAM — A 46-year-old Boca Raton man known as the ‘Mailman’ is behind bars after federal agents unraveled a multi-million dollar scheme built on lies, inflated stock tips, and a flood of deceptive mailers. Brian Robert ‘Mailman’ Sodi was arrested Thursday by the FBI on charges of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and mail fraud, marking the latest blow against underground financial predators exploiting the nation’s markets.

The ten-count indictment, filed in U.S. District Court, alleges Sodi used his Florida-based publishing houses to flood mailboxes nationwide with promotional material hyping speculative penny stocks—while secretly dumping the same shares for profit. Investors were never told Sodi was selling the stocks he urged them to buy. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says the campaign created artificial demand, jacked up prices, and left ordinary buyers holding worthless shares when the bubble burst.

According to the indictment, Sodi acquired shares in publicly traded companies, then launched aggressive marketing mailers exaggerating growth potential and pushing readers to invest. One such target: Southern USA, Inc. (SUSA), a mining company in Ashland, Ala. On January 10, 2013, Sodi used the U.S. Postal Service to push SUSA stock. By March 1, trading spiked so drastically the SEC stepped in and suspended all trading. The company soon laid off most workers and halted mining operations.

To hide his trail, Sodi allegedly funneled profits through offshore accounts and intermediaries in Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, and beyond. He traded using Arliss, a Swiss account, avoiding detection by shielding his ownership. Proceeds were cycled back to his publishing operations—laundering fraud into operational funding. Investigators say the offshore layering was deliberate, designed to obscure his central role in the pump-and-dump machine.

‘Financial crimes prey on the unsuspecting public and undermine the integrity of the nation’s stock exchanges,’ said U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town. ‘Pump-and-dump schemes like this must be disrupted by law enforcement before they disrupt market forces.’ FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp Jr. added the case proves no financial predator is invisible—especially when they leave a paper trail through the mail.

If convicted on the conspiracy charge, Brian Robert ‘Mailman’ Sodi, 46, of Boca Raton, faces up to 25 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain from the fraud, whichever is greater. The FBI led the investigation with support from the SEC, Alabama Securities Commission, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and federal prosecutors from New Jersey, Eastern New York, and Eastern Virginia. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Keim is prosecuting. An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.