Corey Brinson, 36, of Hartford, has pled guilty to money laundering in connection with a sprawling ‘pump and dump’ stock scam that bilked millions from unsuspecting investors. The licensed attorney admitted to laundering approximately $3 million in illicit proceeds through his Interest on Lawyer Trust Account (IOLTA), acting as a legal front for a network of fraudsters led by Christian Meissenn.
Between October 2010 and July 2016, Brinson served as nominal ‘securities counsel’ for shell companies whose stocks were aggressively marketed using false claims. Prosecutors say Brinson, who had no real experience in securities law, signed or allowed his signature on fraudulent attorney opinion letters. These documents falsely certified that corporate disclosures were legitimate, lending a veneer of legality to the crooked scheme.
The scam worked like clockwork: Meissenn and his associates inflated stock prices with lies, sold their shares at peak value, then let the stocks crash—leaving investors holding worthless paper. Brinson’s role was to grease the wheels. His IOLTA account became a financial sluice, funneling nearly all the $3 million in fraud proceeds to Meissenn’s relatives, shell companies, and co-conspirators.
Brinson wasn’t just a passive middleman—he profited handsomely. He took home roughly five percent of the laundered funds, plus additional fees for drafting the fake legal opinions. His total take: approximately $200,000. All of it, prosecutors say, was blood money from a scam that destroyed investor trust and gutted life savings.
On the day of his guilty plea in New Haven federal court, Brinson waived indictment and admitted to one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from specified unlawful activity—a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer set sentencing for April 14, 2017. Brinson surrendered his law license in November 2016, marking the end of his legal career.
The investigation, led by the FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service—with support from Connecticut state and local agencies—remains ongoing. Meissenn, the alleged ringleader, pleaded guilty in November 2016 to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and tax evasion. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Avi M. Perry and Peter S. Jongbloed are prosecuting the case, signaling federal intent to hold every accomplice accountable.
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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