Men Behind $1.6 Million Hawaii Ponzi Scheme Sentenced to Prison

in

Three members of a Honolulu investment group were sentenced to federal prison for their role in a Ponzi scheme that bilked investors out of nearly $2 milion.  Syed Qadri, 39, Ruben Carrillo Gonzalez, 50, Jeffrey Greenhut, 40, received prison sentences of fifty-one months, forty-one months, and twenty-four months, respectively.  United States District Judge Leslie Kobayashi also handed down a one-month sentence to Qadri's wife, Patricia Rodzkowski, for her role in the scheme.  The three men had pled guilty in June.  

According to authorities, the men operated Amasse Capital LLC ("Amasse") and Solomon & Co LLC ("Solomon").  From january 2006 to September 2006, the companies purported to invest in high-yield bonds that were advertised as nearly risk-free, with investors promised monthly returns ranging from 100% to 400%.  However, in reality, the operation was a classic Ponzi scheme, with investor funds being used to make Ponzi-style payments to existing investors.  

In addition to the prison sentences, Judge Kobayashi also ordered the three men to pay restitution to their victims.