Women Indicted in Multi-Million Dollar Fraud Scheme

DENVER—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Chrisheena Shante McGee a/k/a Christina Marius, age 47, and Sandra Pierce Bacon, age 71, have been indicted by a federal grand jury on 12 counts of Wire Fraud and Aiding and Abetting Wire Fraud.

According to the indictment, between May 2019 and March 2021, in Colorado and elsewhere, defendants McGee, Bacon, and others participated in a scheme to defraud and to obtain money and property from victims.  Defendant McGee falsely represented to entities seeking loans that she had access to sources of money to fund loans of up to $150 million.  She falsely represented that she would obtain the loan money if victims would pay an advance fee—often about 10% of the total loan amount—into an escrow account managed by Bacon.  Defendants McGee and Bacon falsely represented to victims that Bacon would hold in escrow advance fees paid to secure the loans until the loans were funded.  As a result of these false representations, at least 10 victims entered into escrow agreements agreeing to pay approximately $14,801,002.75 in advance fees.  After McGee and Bacon falsely represented they would hold advance fees in escrow, they used them for other purposes, including to purchase properties and to repay earlier victims of the advance-fee scheme in Ponzi-like fashion. 

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Fansler.

The charges contained in the indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Case Number: 23-cr-00472-DDD