By Hot Chip Chick Team / September 21, 2024

Financial fraud remains as widespread today as it was a hundred years ago, when notorious swindler Charles Ponzi tricked investors into losing their life savings.

Scammers appear to be on the rise lately, with new fraud scandals making headlines each year.

In 2022, a Florida federal judge sentenced Jason Van Eman, a movie producer and former actor from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, to 21 years in prison for his involvement in a fraud scheme that swindled investors out of more than $60 million. The judge also ordered him to pay over $9 million in restitution to his victims.

Court documents reveal that Van Eman was convicted for his involvement in a fraudulent financing scheme, including charges of money laundering and wire fraud.

Van Eman claimed to be a film producer, offering to fund independent films and Broadway shows.

Together with his accomplice, Benjamin McConley, he assured victims that any financial contributions they made to their projects would be matched. The perpetrators pooled the capital and secured financing from financial institutions, but they failed to fulfill their promises. Instead of using the funds as intended, they diverted the money for their personal gain. Eman enlisted the help of a bank employee, Benjamin Rafael, to falsely reassure investors about the security of their funds and the legitimacy of their contributions. Despite these assurances being completely unfound, victims collectively transferred around $60 million to accounts manage by Van Eman and McConley.

When investors requested the return of their funds, Van Eman attributed his inability to comply to banking compliance issues. This situation result in several civil lawsuits being initiate against him.

Van Eman, McConley, and Rafael misappropriated funds to support a lavish lifestyle. Their expenditures included real estate investments, high-end home furnishings, and jewelry. They also purchased luxury vehicles, designer apparel, and covered costs for air travel and upscale hotel stays.

Eman invested some of his earnings into films he acted in. He served as executive producer for projects like Assimilate, Camp Cold Brook, and The Tale. A portion of the funds was allocate to cover his legal defense fees as well. U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal imposed the prison sentence on Van Eman.