ARKANSAS, USA — The Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced the conviction of four men, including an Arkansas man, of an $18 million global investment fraud scheme.
According to the Department, 55-year-old John C. Nock of Fayetteville was the ringleader in a systemic money laundering scheme between 2013 and 2021. Convicted alongside Nock in the Western District of Arkansas were 67-year-old Brian Brittsan of San Marcos, California; 67-year-old Kevin Griffith of Orem, Utah; and 57-year-old Alexander Ituma of Lehi, Utah.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said the men used their financial backgrounds to run the operation and abused their position to get money from their victims
Evidence presented at trial shows that the men used an entity known as 'The Brittingham Group,' which was founded by Nock through which they obtained money from unsuspecting victims. The men would lie about the nature of their investment offerings and promised returns they couldn't deliver. The money they obtained was sent by the victims to bank accounts controlled by the other men. Using a “complex web” of worldwide bank accounts, the money would then be laundered.
All four of the men were convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering which could see them facing a maximum of 20 years in prison on each count. Nock was additionally convicted of money laundering, which carries a 10-year maximum prison sentence.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.