An Arizona-based man allegedly presupposed to be an funding advisor and raised almost $20 million from shoppers, spending greater than $13 million of these funds on shopping for gold, silver and different metals as an alternative of investing, in line with prices from the Division of Justice (DOJ).

John Lopez lives in Flagstaff, however was arraigned this week on a 27-count indictment in New Mexico federal court docket, together with 16 counts of wire fraud and 11 counts of mail fraud, in line with the Justice Division. He was indicted on Dec. 20.

In accordance with the indictment, Lopez was the founder and president of Private Cash Administration Firm (PMMCO), and had no workers. Starting in 2014, Lopez started touting himself as an funding advisor “with appreciable experience who might persistently and considerably beat the market common on return of investments” by primarily promoting shares and bonds.

Between February 2014 and November 2021, Lopez obtained about $19.4 million in belongings from shoppers, lots of whom have been retired or have been nearing retirement. In accordance with the indictment, Lopez promised assured annual returns of 10% (no matter market volatility), and that he’d get an annualized 19.2% return on a retirement funding.

“Lopez falsely informed varied shoppers and potential shoppers that he had developed a pc program or algorithm that resulted in constant and substantial above-average market returns on investments,” the indictment learn.

Nonetheless, as an alternative of investing the belongings into the promised shares and bonds, Lopez purchased $13.3 million in “valuable metals,” together with gold and silver, whereas disbursing about $6.1 million from the belongings to shoppers, which he falsely mentioned have been “funding positive factors,” in line with the DOJ.

After telling shoppers that he’d place their funds in particular person Charles Schwab brokerage accounts he would handle, Lopez additionally lied concerning the efficiency of the funds, falsely representing the worth of their investments in month-to-month or quarterly paperwork achieved up as account statements, in line with the Justice Division. 

In a single occasion, a shopper received an account assertion exhibiting that his $200,000 funding had supposedly grown to greater than $3.289 million, a 1,544% improve over 5 years. In the identical time interval, an funding within the S&P 500 would have jumped by solely about 104%, in line with the DOJ.

Ahmad Assed, Joel R. Meyers and Shaheen Torgoley, attorneys representing Lopez, disputed the allegations, along with his counsel noting Lopez was in his seventies and had by no means been arrested, not to mention charged with against the law.

“He appears to be like ahead to a possibility to clear his title in court docket, not defend himself towards selective leaks from the federal government brokers within the court docket of public opinion,” they mentioned in a press release to WealthManagement.com. “Mr. Lopez maintains that his precedence has at all times been and can proceed to be the monetary well-being of his clientele.”

The account statements positioned PMMCO’s whole shopper account values at about $39 million in October of final 12 months, however on Nov. 9 and 10, authorities brokers seized the corporate’s belongings, discovering largely metals with a price under $15 million. However Lopez continued to create false account statements even after PMMCO’s belongings have been seized, representing shopper account values at about $49 million in Might 2022, in line with the DOJ.

Lopez faces as a lot as 20 years in jail if convicted.