CAMDEN, N.J. – A California man was sentenced today to 42 months in prison for defrauding elderly victims through a bogus investment scheme, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Christopher Glynn, 59, of Burbank, California, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler in Camden federal court to a superseding information charging him with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Glynn maintained a variety of corporate entities, including U.S. Grant Distribution Group, PG Philanthropic Initiative, Perrarus Global Philanthropic Initiative, and others. Glynn also claimed affiliation with an international trust that purportedly was funded with billions of dollars.
Glynn approached two victims in Vineland, New Jersey, and offered them an opportunity to “invest” hundreds of thousands of dollars in a “business development loan.” Glynn told the victims that this business development loan would be used for authorized business and legal expenses related to his entities and the international trust. The loan also would be used for expenses related to an animal welfare charitable foundation and shelter that Glynn was helping the victims to set up. Glynn assured the victims that the international trust would guarantee their business development loan, the loan would generate specific returns for the victims, and the victims could use the returns to fund their animal welfare charitable foundation and shelter.
Glynn sent emails and other correspondence and contracts to the victims. Glynn also arranged for conference calls between himself, his associates, and the victims, including one call that Glynn claimed included “a direct representative from the NSA (National Security Agency), and a representative from either DHS (Department of Homeland Security) or the FBI.” Glynn took these steps in order to convince the victims that they were investing in a legitimate business opportunity.
Glynn ultimately directed the victims to wire funds to various bank accounts that Glynn controlled, in order to fund the “business development loan.” The victims did so, relying on Glynn’s representations about how the funds would be used. In addition, Glynn also convinced the victims to open credit cards in the name of their forthcoming animal welfare charitable foundation, to which Glynn and his associates would have access.
Instead of using the “business development loan” and the credit cards in the manner that Glynn had promised, Glynn and his associates misappropriated the victims’ money and used it for unauthorized personal expenses such as personal travel, tanning services, and luxury retail purchases.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Kugler sentenced Glynn to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI’s Atlantic City Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara A. Aliabadi and Andrew B. Johns of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden.