Warren Ponzi King Harris Jailed for $15M Fraud

Keelan Harris, a 38-year-old Warren resident, was handed a 10-year prison sentence and ordered to pay over $15.6 million in restitution for his role in a massive Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors out of $15 million.

Harris, along with his brother Kevin and federal fugitive Karen Starr, operated the scheme under the business names Complete Developments LLC and Investment International Inc., promising returns of up to 12% per month from foreign currency exchange trading and other investments. The truth was a Ponzi scheme where funds were funneled into early investors’ accounts from later ones.

The brothers Harris and Starr recruited investors, with Keelan managing the business bank accounts. Kevin Harris is currently serving an 87-month term for his part in the scheme.

Over $20 million was raised from more than 400 victims before the scheme collapsed. The Harrises spent millions on personal expenses, properties, and transferring funds internationally while only a fraction of promised returns were actually paid out. Approximately $15.6 million in investor funds were lost.

This grim tale of financial deceit was investigated by the Youngstown Resident Agency of the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Bell, James V. Moroney, and David Toepfer.

Harris’s sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Christopher A. Boyko, who also ordered him to pay $15,596,345 in restitution to over 300 victims of the investment fraud scheme.