GREENWICH MAN SENTENCED TO 70 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR DEFRAUDING INVESTORS OF MORE THAN $5 MILLION

United States Attorney
District of Connecticut

PRESS RELEASE
October 28, 2008

Nora R. Dannehy, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ROBERT E. BRIDGES, 52, of Greenwich, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge Peter C. Dorsey in New Haven to 70 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for defrauding investors of more than $5 million.  On January 10, 2008, BRIDGES pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud.

According to documents filed with the Court and statements made in court, from 2004 to 2006, BRIDGES engaged in various schemes to defraud investors, including a scheme in which BRIDGES promised investors that he would buy debt portfolios with the funds.  Through these schemes, BRIDGES defrauded investors of more than $5 million.

Today, Judge Dorsey ordered BRIDGES to pay to his victims restitution in the amount of $5,096,954.

BRIDGES has been detained since his arrest on October 12, 2007.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel Richard J. Schechter.

Miami Woman Sentenced to 78 Months in Prison in Connection with $18 Million Business Opportunity Scam

This one’s for you Wayne…

From the U.S. Department of Justice

WASHINGTON – A Miami woman was sentenced today to 78 months in prison, followed by a three-year term of supervised release, in connection with fraudulent business opportunity sales at a Miami firm, the Justice Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced. Lillian Glaubman was also ordered to pay $18,154,938 in restitution to the approximately 737 victims of the scheme.

The company, Pantheon Holdings, a/k/a Internet Machine Company, purported to sell a business opportunity involving Internet kiosks. Potential purchasers were falsely told that for approximately $18,000, Pantheon would, among other things: perform all the legwork of the business; find viable, high-traffic locations to place the kiosks; relocate any kiosk that underperformed; and place national advertisements on the kiosk.

Glaubman and her co-conspirators told business opportunity purchasers that they would earn substantial profits when members of the public used the kiosk to access the Internet for a fee, and from revenue generated by advertisements that Pantheon would place on the kiosks. In fact, the locations where machines were placed drew almost no business, and no advertising was done on the machines.

Glaubman worked through a related business called Marketing Workforce Providers. Glaubman was in charge of the administration for Pantheon, and among other things maintained the finances, concealed the identities of the principals and lulled consumers into a false sense of security.

Glaubman’s conviction and sentence brings to 14 the number of individuals convicted and sentenced in connection with the Pantheon fraud. In July, Glaubman pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and one count of mail fraud.

The Pantheon case was prosecuted by Jill Furman and Richard Goldberg with the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Consumer Litigation.

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08-962

Small Business Advocacy Blog is live

The Small Business Association has recently released a Small Business Advocacy Blog called The Small Business WatchDog.

It’s the official blog of The Small Business Office of Advocacy which is “The Voice for Small Business in the Federal Government and the Source for Small Business Statistics”.

Not surprisingly, the biggest issue for small businesses still centers around HealthCare – but the Small Busines Advocacy Blog makes an important observation that seems to be lost on many politicians:

That’s the key distinction that seems to be lost as we approach the November election. Almost everyone focuses on access to healthcare. But in some ways they are ignoring small businesses’ main concern, which is the cost component.”

You can visit the Small Business Advocacy Blog here:

Small Business Advocacy Blog

Related sites:

Small Business Office of Adovacy

National Small Business Association