| For Immediate Release Case # 10HF0179 January 29, 2013 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami
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PAROLEE CONVICTED OF $198,000 INVESTMENT FRAUD SCHEME INVOLVING AT LEAST SEVEN VICTIMS
*Defendant acted as his own defense attorney in the trial
SANTA ANA – A parolee was convicted yesterday of stealing $198,000 from seven victims in a fraudulent investment scheme. The defendant represented himself as his own defense attorney in the trial. Calvin James Calvin, 48, Newport Beach, was found guilty by a jury yesterday, Jan. 28, 2013, of seven felony counts of grand theft, four felony counts of using untrue statements in the purchase or sale of a security, and sentencing enhancements and allegations for causing over $100,000 in loss, property loss over $150,000, and a prior 2003 conviction for grant theft, for which he was on parole at the time of the crime. He faces a maximum sentence of 14 years in state prison at his sentencing March 8, 2013, at 9:00 a.m. in Department C-40, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
The defendant defrauded at least seven victims, whom he met through church or business, and gained their trust by talking to them about family, church, and sports. He falsely claimed to be a financial investor for professional athletes including LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. At the time of the crime, Calvin was on parole for grand theft and was prohibited from engaging in any finance or investment activities as a term of his parole.
Between December 2005 and March 2008, the defendant engaged in various fraudulent schemes to steal $198,000 from his victims. The first scheme involved Calvin falsely telling at least five of his victims that he was an investment broker, despite not being licensed to sell securities. The defendant told his victims that he would invest their money in various stocks with the promise of high returns. Calvin claimed that his commission would be taken out of the profits at no cost to the victims.
In the second scheme, Calvin claimed to be the Chief Financial Officer of a legitimate alarm company, with which he had no association, and convinced at least one victim to invest in the company. In the third scheme, the defendant entered into a contract with at least one victim under the pretense of helping to raise capital for the victim’s business. In all three schemes, the defendant provided a fake business address, which actually went to a post office box in a Newport Beach laundromat.
Calvin had the victims’ money deposited into a business account and then transferred the money into his own personal accounts. He spent the fraudulently obtained money on personal expenses including a home in Washington, a new Mercedes-Benz, and sports memorabilia. He failed to return or repay any of his victims’ investments.
The Newport Beach Police Department began investigating this case after receiving a complaint from one of the victims.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Cameron Talley of the Major Fraud Unit prosecuted this case.