CLEVELAND – A popular former podcaster was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for orchestrating a real estate Ponzi scheme that took in over $7.3 million from at least 63 victims from across the United States, involving a wide range of income levels and ages.
According to court documents, from October 2017 to March 2022, Matthew Motil, 45, of North Olmsted, was a licensed real estate agent in Ohio who owned and operated several companies. He devised a scheme to defraud investors by using his podcast and other marketing tools to position himself as an expert in the field. Branding himself as the “Cash Flow King,” Motil produced and hosted programs which he promoted through social media and his websites. He also authored a book, “Man on Fire,” to further his credibility with investors.
Using a combination of marketing tactics, he solicited prospective investors to invest their money with him and his real estate companies as a lucrative way to generate passive income. Motil provided the victim investors with promissory notes he said were secured by mortgages on properties located throughout Northeast Ohio. Unbeknownst to them, he used the same properties over and over to obtain money from one victim after another, each time providing them with a promissory note purportedly secured by a mortgage.
These victims were deceived and manipulated into handing over their hard-earned money to a shameless and selfish individual for his own benefit,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Carol M. Skutnik for the Northern District of Ohio. “Our office will take action to prosecute anyone who preys on the trusting nature of others.”
Motil also used the victim investors’ money to fund his lifestyle. He funded personal expenses such as leasing a large home on Lake Erie and securing courtside seats to Cleveland Cavaliers home games. He also used the funds to pay his credit cards and financially sustain his fitness businesses.
Motil pleaded guilty to securities fraud and wire fraud on Sept. 5, 2024. U.S. District Court Judge Donald C. Nugent imposed the sentence July 18, 2025. Motil was also sentenced to serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment and pay $5,085,247.08 in restitution.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Secret Service Money Laundering Task Force with significant assistance from the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office and the former Major Crime Task Force hosted by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department. The Office of the United States Trustee for Region 9 – Cleveland, Ohio, also significantly contributed to the case.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erica D. Barnhill for the Northern District of Ohio.
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Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Category: White Collar Crime,Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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