A&O Update: Virginia Jury Convicts Abdulwahab on 15 Counts, Sentencing Schedulted for September 28
Wall Street's Most Wanted Report Securities Fraud Blog reports that on Friday a federal court jury in Virginia convicted A&O Life co-founder Adley Abdulwahab for his involvement in the $100 million A&O Life fraud scheme. 
According to the government's press release:
“Today’s quick verdict found Mr. Abdulwahab guilty of a $100 million fraud and stealing the life savings of elderly retirees and hundreds of others who have seen everything they worked years for disappear,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “This case, involving victims in dozens of states, clearly demonstrates that a national fraud case can have real implications to everyday people. That is why we created the Virginia Financial and Securities Fraud Task Force last year to go after national cases that impact ordinary citizens on Main Street as well as Wall Street.”
“Mr. Abdulwahab participated in a $100 million fraud scheme, cheating more than 800 victims across the United States and Canada,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. “While lying to investors about his education and criminal history, he was off buying fancy cars with their money. Today, a jury let him know that financial crime has consequences, and that investment fraud will not be tolerated.”“Today’s quick verdict found Mr. Abdulwahab guilty of a $100 million fraud and stealing the life savings of elderly retirees and hundreds of others who have seen everything they worked years for disappear,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “This case, involving victims in dozens of states, clearly demonstrates that a national fraud case can have real implications to everyday people. That is why we created the Virginia Financial and Securities Fraud Task Force last year to go after national cases that impact ordinary citizens on Main Street as well as Wall Street.”
“Mr. Abdulwahab participated in a $100 million fraud scheme, cheating more than 800 victims across the United States and Canada,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. “While lying to investors about his education and criminal history, he was off buying fancy cars with their money. Today, a jury let him know that financial crime has consequences, and that investment fraud will not be tolerated.”Five individuals have pleaded guilty in connection with the A&O fraud scheme: David White, the former President of A&O; Brent Oncale, former vice president of A&O; Russell E. Mackert, an attorney for A&O; Eric M. Kurz, a wholesaler of A&O investment products; and Tomme Bromseth, an A&O sales agent in the Richmond area.
A jury convicted Christian Allemindinger in March. The Houston Chronicle reports that sentencing will be in September.
My Take: These guys are going to get significant prison time, which they deserve. I don't know why some or all of them would not get Madoff type sentences (150 years). I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that Wahab is not going to follow through with his 2009 threat to sue me in Texas for defamation for suggesting that he was involved with A&O and that A&O was crooked.
I think that they should reopen Alcatraz Prison for these criminals. They all deserve the same sentencing as Bernie Madoff....life and beyond. They have ruined people financially. They better make it right in this life or they will pay dearly in the next. Russell Mackert, the lawyer, knew how to try to beat the system and I am surprised he got a plea agreement. Now where did they stash the cash?
I think it's been established that they spent the money on their lavish lifestyles for the most part. Anything left I'm sure is stashed overseas (Caymans? Switzerland?)
I think we should have a group excursion to Richmond to show up for the sentencing hearings for Wahab and Allmendinger. Refundable tickets of course, in case the hearings are rescheduled, yet again.
Why is everyone on wahab and allmendinger so bad....The mastermind was brent oncale who is still enjoying his lavish lifestyle with you investors monies....They knew Wahab had a criminal record, didn't have a degree from LSU, and used his nationality and past to set him up as the fall guy when their ponzi scheme were to explode....Oncale was the one who GAVE Wahab the money to buy into the company from the beginning...What does that tell you!!!! SETUP SETUP SETUP!!!!!!!!!!!
Oncale is being sentenced in July...he's not getting off scott-free.
Brent will not get jail time...mark my words!!
Houston Chronicle article
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7665505.html
5 sentenced in Va. for $100M fraud scheme
By LARRY O'DELL Associated Press © 2011 The Associated Press
July 22, 2011, 5:33PM
RICHMOND, Va. — Five men who pleaded guilty in a $100 million fraud scheme that claimed about 800 victims nationwide were sentenced Friday to federal prison terms ranging from three years to more than 15 years.
The five included the co-founder and the former president of Houston-based companies known as A&O, which purchased life insurance policies from individuals at less than face value and then collected the benefits when those people died. Prosecutors said A&O officials misrepresented many aspects of their business and failed to repay investors.
"The impact of this massive fraud on many of A&O's investor victims has been disastrous," U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride said in a written statement after the sentencing hearings. "Hundreds of elderly investors invested their life savings with A&O and saw it all vanish in an instant."
One by one, U.S. District Judge Robert Payne scolded the defendants and reminded them that while they will have an opportunity to rebuild their lives after prison, many of their victims lost everything and will never fully recover.
"The damage you wrought was absolutely hideous," Payne told A&O co-founder Brent Oncale of Houston, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Payne said "it turned my stomach" to read statements from victims of the conspiracy.
As part of a plea agreement, Oncale cooperated with the government's investigation and testified against two other A&O principals who were convicted in jury trials and will be sentenced in September.
"I know what I did was wrong and I've done everything in my power to right that wrong, and I will continue to do so," Oncale told the judge.
Payne also sentenced former A&O president David White of Missouri City, Texas, and wholesaler Eric Kurz of The Woodlands, Texas, to five years. Lawyer Russell Mackert of Spring, Texas, got 15 years, eight months, and salesman Tomme Bromseth of Richmond was sentenced to three years.
The judge rejected a motion by Mackert's attorney for a lighter sentence. The attorney, Carolyn Grady, said Mackert's participation was solicited by one of A&O's leaders and "he was naive enough and not smart enough to look behind the curtain and see the fraud."
Grady asked for the same 10-year-sentence Payne had just given Oncale, but the judge imposed a term near the middle of the federal guideline range.
Payne was mystified by the wrongdoing of White, saying all indications were that he led an exmplary life before quitting a banking job to join A&O. White's wife, Stephanie, testified about his fundraising on behalf of autism charities, his role in helping her achieve her dream of opening a speech clinic and his devotion to their two young sons.
"What on earth happened to this man?" Payne asked White's lawyer, Claire Cardwell.
She said White didn't know A&O was doing anything illegal when he took the job, and after he realized what was happening he made some bad decisions in trying to set things right. She noted that he was only with A&O for five months of the approximately three-year conspiracy and suggested he deserved a lighter sentence.
Payne said the plea agreement already included the appropriate concessions, however.
White apologized to investors.
"Accepting a position with the firm — and my actions thereafter — I will regret for the rest of my life," White told the judge.
Payne also declined go easy on Kurz, saying the conspiracy would not have been possible without his involvement. Kurz was the middle man between A&O principals and sales agents, providing the bulk of the misleading materials and sales pitches that were used to ensnare investors.
The judge said he believed Kurz was remorseful, but he added: "Remorse is insufficient to undo the damage that was done."
However, Payne did approve a shorter sentence for Bromseth. Prosecutors asked for a sentence of five years, but Payne said he did not believe the 70-year-old Bromseth deserved the same prison term as Kurz, who ranked ahead of him in the A&O hierarchy. He also cited Bromseth's age.
Bromseth, who also has testified against A&O officials, said he appreciated the government allowing him "to particpate in a small way in the convictions of those in power."
After serving their prison terms, the men will be required to make payments toward restitution for the victims.