THE ANGELS – A federal grand jury this afternoon returned a five-count indictment accusing a Beverly Hills man — who was serving a sentence in a earlier federal fraud case — of soliciting greater than $9 million from buyers with false statements that they invested in a hemp farm. which doesn’t exist.
Mark Roy Anderson, 68, who was dwelling in Beverly Hills whereas on supervised launch after serving a 135-month jail sentence, faces 5 counts of fraud in a case he says tricked buyers into offering financing for his firm , known as Harvest Farm Group. , to reap and remodel the hemp, grown on his farm, into medical grade CBD isolate to be offered for a considerable revenue.
Particular brokers with the FBI arrested Anderson within the case on Might 9 after prosecutors filed a legal grievance outlining a collection of actions and false statements that allegedly induced victims to ship cash to Anderson throughout the scheme that lasted at the very least from June 2020 to April 2021.
“With the intention to induce victim-investors to spend money on Harvest Farm Group, defendant Anderson falsely represented that, by Harvest Farm Group: (i) he owned and operated a hemp farm in Kern County, California; (ii) he had already accomplished of profitable and worthwhile harvesting of hemp from the farm; and (iii) was utilizing his personal equipment and tools to transform the hemp into CBD isolate and/or Delta 8, a psychoactive substance which, like CBD isolate , might be utilized in shopper merchandise starting from olive oil to physique cream,” he mentioned. to the prosecution, which continues to claim that none of those assertions had been true.
Anderson allegedly tried to take care of a veneer of reliability by taking steps to guarantee buyers Harvest Farms Group was respectable and “wasn't the 'Mark Roy Anderson' with a number of prior fraud convictions.” The indictment alleges that Anderson “hid that he had been convicted of a number of federal and state crimes, together with mail fraud, wire fraud, grand theft, forgery, fabrication of false proof, and cash laundering, and hid that he was nonetheless serving a felony sentence. nonetheless on supervised launch on the time he requested investments.”
Anderson allegedly used investor cash for private bills, together with greater than $650,000 in luxurious and classic autos, greater than $400,000 in money withdrawals, greater than $142,000 in retail purchases, and different private bills, together with greater than $1.3 million spent to purchase a residence and the encircling space. citrus groves in Ojai.
The indictment incorporates allegations {that a} defendant dedicated against the law. All defendants are presumed harmless till confirmed responsible past an affordable doubt in a courtroom of legislation.
Anderson, who was ordered held with out bond within the case, is scheduled to be arraigned in U.S. District Court docket on Might 30.
Every rely of wire fraud alleged within the indictment carries a most statutory penalty of 20 years in federal jail.
The FBI is investigating this case.
Assistant United States Lawyer Kerry L. Quinn of the Main Fraud Part is prosecuting the case.
