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Press Release

Guatemalan Charged With Defrauding New Hampshire Advisor Of Millions

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Hampshire

          CONCORD, N.H. – Acting United States Attorney Donald Feith announced today the unsealing of fraud charges against Guatemalan businessman, Roberto Montano (a/k/a Jorge Roberto Montano Pellegrini).  The charges, contained in a Criminal Complaint filed on December 29, 2014, allege that Montano defrauded a Lebanon, New Hampshire, based investment advisor and its clients who had entrusted Montano with managing client funds intended for investment in teak plantations in Guatemala.  The Criminal Complaint alleges that the total loss may exceed $9 million.  Montano, age 49, is a citizen of Guatemala and most recently resided in or near Guatemala City.

          The Criminal Complaint specifically alleges that Montano violated the federal Wire Fraud statute by, among other things, transferring funds intended to run the teak plantations for the benefit of the investment advisor’s clients for other purposes, diverting Guatemalan government subsidies intended to benefit the teak plantations to unidentified recipients and mortgaging Guatemalan real estate assets held for the benefit of the investment advisor’s clients without the authorization or knowledge of the investment advisor or its clients.

          Montano is presently a fugitive from justice.  The Federal Bureau of Investigation is actively engaged in efforts to locate and apprehend him.  Guatemalan prosecutors announced that, on September 17, 2015, they filed charges against Montano based upon the same conduct described in the unsealed Criminal Complaint announced today.

          This case was investigated by the Bedford (N.H.) Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Morse.

The charges and allegations contained in a Criminal Complaint are only accusations. 

A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Updated October 15, 2015

Topic
Financial Fraud