New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that GREGORY VIOLA, 59, of Orange, was arrested today on a criminal complaint charging him with mail fraud. The charge stems from an alleged scheme to defraud investors of at least hundreds of thousands of dollars via a Ponzi scheme.
According to court documents and statements made in court, VIOLA operated an investment business in Orange. It is alleged that since as early as 2007, VIOLA engaged in a scheme to defraud multiple investors by not investing funds as he had represented. As part of the scheme, it is alleged that VIOLA promised his investors that their funds would be invested, and that they would receive a specified rate of return on the investments as well as the potential for the investment to appreciate. Rather than invest funds provided by investors, it is alleged that VIOLA engaged in a Ponzi scheme in which he used new investor funds to make payments to earlier investors. It is also alleged that VIOLA mailed investors fraudulent statements that falsely represented the amount of funds that the investors had on account.
The criminal complaint specifically alleges that VIOLA provided one investor with a purported E-Trade account statement representing that the investor had in excess of $300,000 on account with VIOLA. Subsequent investigation by law enforcement has revealed that this statement is false, and E-Trade has no record of an account in the investor’s name.
VIOLA voluntarily surrendered himself this afternoon and appeared before United States Magistrate Judge William I. Garfinkel in Bridgeport. He was released on a $100,000 bond, which is secured by two properties.
U.S. Attorney Fein and FBI Special Agent in Charge Mertz noted that the investigation into this alleged scheme is ongoing, and asked individuals who believe they may be a victim of this scheme, or anyone with information related to this scheme, to contact FBI Special Agent Wendy Bowersox at (203) 777-6311.
If convicted, of mail fraud, VIOLA faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Gregory Viola Charged with Defrauding Investors of at Least Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars Via a Ponzi Scheme
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Report Securities Fraud by Calling 1-888-482-6825 or by visiting
www.reportsecuritiesfraud.net
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