Dallas County individuals indicted in investment fraud and money laundering scheme

PLANO, Texas – Three individuals have been indicted for federal violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs today. 

Marina Brooks, 67; Charles “Chuck” Brooks, 71; and Crystal Brooks, 35, were named in the two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury on Dec. 14, 2023, in the Eastern District of Texas.  The indictment charges the defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.  The defendants made their initial appearances today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly C. Priest Johnson.   

The defendants are alleged to have engaged in a large-scale investment fraud scheme targeting individuals in the Mexican-American community.  According to the indictment, the defendants and their co-conspirators fraudulently solicited “investments” for a multitude of schemes, such as concert series and cryptocurrency-related projects.  Through marketing seminars, radio advertisements, and in-person meetings, the defendants fraudulently represented that these investment opportunities would yield significant returns relative to market standards.  However, the defendants are alleged to have transferred the victim investor funds to other business and personal accounts, took out commissions and cash withdrawals, and lost over 95% of the funds taken from victim investors.  In all, the defendants fraudulently took at least $9.5 million from at least 100 victim investors.

If convicted, the defendants each face up to 20 years in federal prison.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations.

A grand jury indictment is not evidence of guilt.  All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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