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Fugitive Lawyer Brought to Justice
Tampa, FL – In a major breakthrough in the investigation of an international investment scam, fugitive lawyer Lawrence S. Hartman was extradited to the United States from Nicaragua on Friday. Hartman, 47, a former New York and Florida lawyer, is accused of running a $137 million investment fraud scheme that resulted in significant losses for victim-investors.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Hartman was expelled from Nicaragua and turned over to U.S. authorities in Miami. He is expected to make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Miami on May 16, 2013, at 1:30 pm. If convicted, Hartman faces up to 20 years in prison on each of the three conspiracy and substantive mail and wire fraud offenses, and up to 10 years on each of the substantive money laundering counts.
The investigation into Hartman’s scheme has been ongoing since 2009, with four of his co-defendants already found guilty. In April 2013, a federal jury found Paul R. Gunter and Simon Andrew Odoni guilty of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering, as well as multiple counts of mail and wire fraud and money laundering. Gunter and Odoni each face up to 20 years in prison and must forfeit real property, bank accounts, an airplane, vessels, and vehicles purchased with proceeds of the fraud scheme.
Co-defendant Richard Sinclair Pope pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud in March 2011 and faces up to 20 years in prison. In a related trial, Houston lawyers Roger Lee Shoss and Nicolette Loisel were convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with their participation in the corporate identity theft aspect of the scheme.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security, U.S. Embassy Managua, INTERPOL Washington, and the Nicaraguan National Police. The government received assistance from several other authorities, including the City of London Police, the UK’s Serious Fraud Office and Norfolk Constabulary, the Spanish National Police, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Ontario Securities Commission, and the British Columbia Securities Commission.
Hartman’s extradition marks a significant victory in the ongoing fight against international financial crimes. His trial is expected to shed more light on the scope and complexity of the scheme, which has already resulted in significant losses for victim-investors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rachelle DesVaux Bedke and Kelley Howard-Allen. An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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