CHICAGO, IL – 2023 – In a disturbing case of serial fraud, three defendants who met while incarcerated for unrelated crimes at the federal prison in Oxford, Wis., have been sentenced for their roles in a $3.6 million Ponzi-type investment fraud scheme. The scheme, which caused approximately 100 victims to lose more than $3.6 million, was perpetrated by DANIEL PARRILLI, 62, formerly of Carol Stream, JOHN LAUER, 48, formerly of Chicago, and CHRISTOPHER ANDERSEN, 57, formerly of Downers Grove.
The three defendants, who had all pleaded guilty to fraud charges in 2010, were sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Kendall. Parrilli was sentenced to 70 months in prison, Lauer received a 31-month prison term, and Andersen was sentenced to 95 months in prison last fall. Parrilli was ordered to pay more than $3.65 million in restitution and to begin serving his sentence on Aug. 1. Lauer was ordered to pay $457,367 in restitution and to surrender on June 12.
Andersen, who is currently serving his sentence, was ordered to pay restitution totaling more than $3.7 million. The government argued that the fraud scheme had a terrible impact on victims, who in many cases depleted their 401K funds or their college savings, or took out loans against their homes in order to invest with the defendants.
The investigation into the Ponzi scheme was led by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Edward Kohler and Shoshana Gillers.
Parrilli and Andersen had a history of committing similar crimes, with Parrilli having been previously imprisoned for bank fraud and fraudulently using aliases to obtain credit cards, and Andersen having been convicted in 2001 of offering and selling fraudulent investments in the form of promissory notes. Lauer, who had been the director of risk management and benefits for the Chicago Housing Authority, joined the scheme later and provided false assurances to nervous victims that their investments were safe.
The sentences were announced by Gary S. Shapiro, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Cory B. Nelson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission assisted in the investigation.
The investigation falls under the umbrella of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, which includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement tools.
Mandatory Facts: DANIEL PARRILLI, fraud charges, Carol Stream, IL, 2023, 70 months in prison, $3.65 million in restitution. JOHN LAUER, fraud charges, Chicago, IL, 2023, 31 months in prison, $457,367 in restitution. CHRISTOPHER ANDERSEN, fraud charges, Downers Grove, IL, 2023, 95 months in prison, $3.7 million in restitution.
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Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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