![\"FBI](\"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Fraud-Image-300x198.jpg\")
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A federal jury in Arkansas convicted four men Thursday for their lead roles in an investment fraud and money laundering conspiracy that cheated victims out of more than $18 million.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe defendants abused their positions of trust to entice victims into parting with more than $18 million,\u201d\u00a0said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department\u2019s Criminal Division. \u201cThe defendants then used their financial backgrounds to systematically launder the money through a web of international bank accounts. This case stands as a stark message to those who defraud others for their personal gain: you will be found, you will be prosecuted, and you will be convicted.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n According to court documents, Between at least 2013 and 2021, John C. Nock, 55, of Fayetteville, Arkansas; Brian Brittsan, 67, of San Marcos, California; Kevin Griffith, 67, of Orem, Utah; and Alexander Ituma, 57, of Lehi, Utah, conspired to engage in an investment fraud scheme through an entity known as \u201cThe Brittingham Group,\u201d which Nock founded. <\/span><\/p>\n To promote and conceal the conspiracy, Nock and Brittsan directed victims to send their money to bank accounts that Griffith, Ituma, and other co-conspirators controlled. <\/span><\/p>\n Once the money was in the hands of the co-conspirators, the defendants transferred money through a complex web of worldwide bank accounts.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPlain and simple, these four individuals ran a fraudulent scheme. They falsely represented the nature of their business and lied about potential investment returns to bilk unsuspecting victims out of more than $18 million,\u201d said IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Chief Jim Lee.<\/span><\/p>\n The jury also convicted the founder, Nock, of money laundering, for which he faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.<\/span><\/p>\n IRS-CI and the FBI investigated the case. <\/span><\/p>\n Trial Attorneys Philip Trout, Vasanth Sridharan, and Sara A. Hallmark of Criminal Division\u2019s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A federal jury in Arkansas convicted four men Thursday for their lead roles in an investment fraud and money laundering conspiracy that cheated victims out of more than $18 million. \u201cThe defendants…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":51585,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3255,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-53976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-federal-court","category-u-s-department-of-justice"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/FBI-Insider-Trading-300x228.jpg\")
Together, the four defendants falsely represented the nature of their investment offerings and promised outsize returns to victims that, in reality, the defendants could not and did not produce. <\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/criminal_justice_jurisprudence-2.jpg\")
The jury convicted each defendant of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The defendants face up to 20 years in prison on each count. <\/span><\/p>\n