This Fraudster Hollywood Producer Was Sentenced To 21 Years In Prison For His Role In Defrauding Investors Out Of More Than $60 Million Dollars
Financial fraud is just as prevalent as it was a century ago when the infamous Italian con artist Charles Ponzi duped investors out of their fortunes.
In fact, the number of scammers seems to be on the rise in recent times. Each year, a fresh set of fraud-related scandals never fail to hit the headlines.
In 2022, a Florida federal judge sentenced Jason Van Eman, a movie producer and former actor from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, to 21 years of prison for his role in defrauding investors out of more than $60 million. He was also ordered to pay his victims over $9 million in restitution.
According to court records, Van Eman was found guilty of a financing scheme that involved money laundering and wire fraud.
Evidence shows that Van Eman portrayed himself as a film producer and offered to fund independent movies, Broadway shows, music festivals, and other projects.
He, along with co-conspirator Benjamin McConley, promised their victims that they would match any cash contribution the victims made to their projects.
Then, the perpetrators used the combined capital to obtain financing from financial institutions. However, they never did what they promised. Instead, they spent the money for their own selfish purposes.
Van Eman secured the services of a bank employee named Benjamin Rafael to assure investors that their money was secure and their contributions had been matched, even though none of it was true. Overall, victims sent approximately $60 million to accounts controlled by Van Eman and McConley.
When the investors demanded that he return their money, Van Eman claimed that bank compliance issues were the reason he was unable to give the money back. This led to multiple civil lawsuits being filed against him.
ShutterFalcon – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Van Eman, McConley, and Rafael used the stolen money to pay for real estate, home furnishings, jewelry, luxury cars, designer clothes, air travel, and hotel accommodations.
Van Eman even utilized some of the cash to fund movies in which he acted. He most recently was the executive producer for Assimilate, Camp Cold Brook, and The Tale. Additionally, some of the funds went toward fees for his legal defense.
Van Eman’s prison sentence was imposed by the U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal.
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