Title: RE: purported email from "David Martins"I know that adding to this Nigerian thread is pushing things a bit, but I just couldn't resist sharing this article from the Winona Post...
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Winona man charged with investment scam
by Christina EberhardA summons was filed Friday in Winona District Court for a 58-year-old Winona man charged with seven counts of theft by swindle.
Carl Fratzke, Jr. faces up to 70 years in prison and/or a $140,000 fine if convicted on all charges.
Seven victims claim that Fratzke fraudulently invested $207,000 they gave him between March 30 and April 28, 2000. The investors told Winona police that Fratzke had promised to double their money within 30 days by purchasing $500,000 worth of gloves and selling them for $1.2 million to Wal-Mart, the criminal complaint states. They later learned that Fratzke invested the money in a Nigerian scam.
Fratzke failed to appear at a meeting planned by the victims May 29, 2001, court documents state, after they realized they would not see any return on their investment. Instead, Fratzke left a note telling the investors he did not invest the money in the Wal-Mart deal, but in a Nigerian scam.
According to the criminal complaint, victim number one invested $25,000; victim two invested $50,000; victim three invested $35,000; victim four invested $35,000; victim five invested $25,000; victim six invested $25,000 and victim seven invested $12,000.
Fratzke will make his first court appearance against these charges on March 14.
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-Brian H.