Home New Haven Press Releases 2009 Federal Jury in Hartford Finds Ledyard Resident Guilty of Defrauding Investors
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Federal Jury in Hartford Finds Ledyard Resident Guilty of Defrauding Investors

U.S. Attorney’s Office November 19, 2009
  • District of Connecticut (203) 821-3700

Nora R. Dannehy, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that a federal jury sitting in Hartford has found CHRISTOPHER M. PEARSON, 50, of Ledyard, guilty of eight counts of wire fraud stemming from a fraudulent investment scheme. The trial began on November 5 and the jury returned the verdicts today.

According to the evidence disclosed during the trial, PEARSON, formerly a Deputy Chief Operating Officer for the Mashantucket-Pequot Tribal Nation, defrauded a number of investors out of $280,000 that he obtained from them based upon his representations that he would purchase land on the Island of Roatan, Honduras, on their behalf. PEARSON represented that the land ultimately would be utilized for a resort and casino project that the Tribe was sponsoring. PEARSON then collected money from the investors but never purchased property for them with the money. Instead, he diverted the money he received from investors for his own use, including boats, cars, vacations and improvements to his waterfront home on the Island of Roatan.

PEARSON is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Robert N. Chatigny on February 5, 2010, at which time PEARSON faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000, on each count.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Eric J. Glover and David T. Huang.

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