LOS ANGELES – A Beverly Hills man pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges for causing investors more than $18 million in losses – while he was completing a sentence in a prior criminal case – by duping them with false claims about his companies that purportedly invested in hemp farms and cannabis-infused retail products as well as a sham bottling business.
Mark Roy Anderson, 69, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud. According to his plea agreement, Anderson engaged in two separate schemes that swindled victims, which he committed shortly after his release from federal prison but while on home confinement and, later, while on supervised release for a previous fraud conviction.
Anderson’s first scheme, which ran from June 2020 to April 2021, targeted investors in his company, Harvest Farm Group. He convinced them to invest in the company by falsely representing that he owned and operated a hemp farm in Kern County, and that he had already completed successful and profitable harvests of hemp from the farm.
Anderson also lied that he was using his own machinery and equipment to convert the hemp into CBD isolate and Delta 8, a psychoactive substance that could be used in consumer products. To maintain a veneer of trustworthiness, Anderson concealed his multiple prior fraud convictions and his status as a convicted felon on supervised release.
Anderson’s second scheme, which ran from April 2021 to May 2023, targeted investors in his sham companies, Bio Pharma and Verta Bottling. He deceived them by soliciting money for these businesses, claiming that they successfully manufactured, bottled, and packaged commercial products infused with CBD.
Anderson’s other lies to investors included false claims that his bottling companies had at least $10 million in purchase-order contracts from suppliers, and that they owned and possessed millions of dollars’ worth of assets. He drafted fake legal and business documents, including fabricated purchase order contracts, to support his false claims.
Anderson’s scams resulted in losses of over $18.4 million for his victims. He faces up to 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud, and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count. His sentencing is scheduled for a later date.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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