UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTH ERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

Case No.

18 U.S.C. j 1343

18 tJ-s-c. j 981(a)(1)(C)

UNITED STATES OF AM ERICA

VS.

JUDITH DIAM E PARIS-PINDER,

Defendant.

/

INFORM ATION

The United States Attorney charges that:

GENERAL ALLEGATIONS

At a11 tim es relevant to this Infbrmation:

R elevant Term s

A GGponzit' or GGponzi schem e'' is an investm ent âaud scheme that involves the

paym ent of claim ed rettu'ns to existing investors from ftmds conG buted by new investors. Ponzi

schem e orgnnizers often solicit new investors by prom ising to invest ftmds in opportunities

claimed to generate high rettums with little or no risk. In m any Ponzi schem es, the padicipants

focus on attracting new investments to m ake promised paym ents to earlier-stage investors to create

'the false appearance that investors are profiting from a legitim ate business.Ponzi schemes require

a consistent flow of new investor funds to continue and tend to collapse when it becom es difficult

to obtain sufficient new investor ftmds or when a large nllmber of investors ask for their investment

principal back.

22-20452-CR-GAYLES/TORRES

Sep 22, 2022

Case 1:22-cr-20452-DPG Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 09/23/2022 Page 1 of 9

MM
TheDefendantandtheR elevantEntity

2. DefendantJUDITH DIA'NNE PARIS-PINDER wasaresidentofM iami-Dade

Cotmty,Florida.

' 3. JUDITH DIANNE PARIS-PINDER was listed as the registered agent and

presidentoftheFloridaCorporationPinderAssociates1nc(ûpinderAssociates''),locatedinNorth

M iam i,Florida.

m RE FM UD

(18U.S.C.j1343)

1. The General Allegations section of this Information is realleged and fully

incorporatedhereinby reference.

2. From atleastasearly asin orarotmdNovem ber2019,andcontinuingthroughin

or around October 2021,in M iam i-Dade County,in the Southem District of Florida,and

elsewhere,thedefendant,

JUDITH DIANNE PARIS-PINDER,

didlcnowingly,andwiththeintenttodefraud,devise,andintendto deviseaschem eand artifice

to defraud,and to obtain money and property by m eans of m aterially false and fraudulent

pretenses,representations, and promises, lcnowing that the pretenses, representations, and

promiseswerefalseand fraudulentwhenm ade,andforthepurposeofexecutingtheschem eand

artifice,did knowinglytransm itandcausetobetransm itted,bym eansofwirecom mtm ication in

interstateandforeigncomm erce,certainwritings,signs,signals,pictures,andsounds,inviolation

' ofTitle 18United StatesCode,Section 1343.

N ;

PurposeofSchem eandArtifice

3. Itwas a purpose ofthe scheme and artifice for JUDITH DIANNE PARISPINDER tounlawfully enrichherselfby soliciting investorm oney through materially falseand

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fraudulentrepresentationsandpromisesconceming,amongotherthings,(a)thetnlenattlreofthe

investmentandtheexistenceofpendinglawsuitsettlementpayments,(b)thediversionofinvestor

fundsintobankaccotmtsunderhercontrol,and(c)theuseofitwestmentftmdsforherown

personalbenefk andtom akepaymentstoexistinginvestors.

M annerandM eans

Them annerandm eansbywhichthedefendantsoughttoaccomplishthepurposeofthe

schem eandartificeincluded,am ongothers,thefollowing:

4. JUDITH DIANNE PARIS-PINDER openedandm aintainedbankaccotmtsinthe

nam eofPinderAssociatesandinhernam eatfinancialinstitutionslocatedintheSouthernDistrict

ofFlorida.PARIS-PINDER hadsigningauthorityandcontroloverthesebank accotmts.

JUDITH DIANNE PARTS-PINDER, directly and indirectly, fraudulently

solicitedm oneyfrom investorsbyfalselypromisingsignificantretarns,typicallyasmuchas50% ,

onfundsinvestedinapurportedlawsuitsetllem entbusiness.

6. JUDITH DIANNE PARIS-PINDER provided investorswith,and éntered into,

m ittenagreem ents,calledaEtBusinessLoanAgreem ent''inwhich PARIS-PINDER falsely and

fraudtllently promised to pay investorstheprincipalinvestmentand the agreed-upon rettu'n on

investmentbyaspecifieddate.

JUDITH DIA'NNE PARIS-PINDER encotzragedexistinginvestorstosolicitnew

investorsand raiseadditionalinvestorfunds. Asan inducem entto existing investors,PARISPINDER offeredandpaidexistinginvestorscomm issionstosolicitnew investors.

8. To induce investprs to investwith her,JUDITH DIANNE PARIS-PINDER,

directly and indirectly,m ade m aterially false and fraudulentstatem entsand representationsto

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investorsconcerningthetruenatureoftheinvestment,theexistenceofpendinglawsuitsettlem ent

paym ents,andtheuseanddiversionofinvestorfunds,including,nm ongothers,thefollowing:

M ateriallvFalseRepresentations

(a) thatPARIS-PINDER workedwithorforanattomeyor1aw firm thathadclients

with lawsuitsettlem entpaym entsforthcom ingfrom aninslzrancecompany;

(b) thattheattorneyor1aw fil'm loanedorpaidtheirclientsaportionoftheforthcoming

lawsuitsettlementpaym ent,atareduced rate,in exchangeforthefullam ountof

thelawsuitsettlementpaym entwhencollected;

(c) thatPARIS-PINDER wasraisingmoney from investorstofund theloansor

.%

advancepaymentstotheclients;

(d) thatthe investmentwould profitwhen the instlrance company paid the ful

settlem entamotmtatalaterdate;and

(e). thattheùwestorwouldbepaidbackthefullinvestmentprincipalplusanagreed

uponreturn on investment(typicaly 50%)atalaterdatewhentheinsurance

companypaidthefullsettlem entamotmt.

9. Basedonthesefalseandfraudulentrepresentations,JUDITH DIANNE PARISPINDER received and collected investor funds in cash and through depositsvia bank wire

transfers,including interstatewirecomm tmications,intovariousaccountsthatPAIU S-PINDER

controlled,includingPinderAssociates'bank accounts.

10. Contrary to JUDITH DIANNE PARIS-PINDER'S false and fraudulent

representationsto investors,PARIS-PINDER did notuseinvestorm oney to fund paym entsor

loanstoattorney or1aw firm clientswhohadlawsuitsettlem entsforthcom ing. Instead,PARISPINDER falselyandfraudulentlypaidinvestorreturnsbyrunningaponzischem e,payingexisting

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Case 1:22-cr-20452-DPG Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 09/23/2022 Page 4 of 9
investorsusingnew investorfunds.

11. W hile continuing to solicit new investments, JUDITH DIANNE PARISPINDER misappropriated existing investorfundsforherownpersonaluseandbenefit. In fact,

PARIS-PINDER misappropriatedinexcessof$1millionofinvestmentftmdstopayherpersonal

expensesincluding,nm ong otherthings,herwedding,vacations,and entertainm ent,withoutany

noticeto,orauthorizationfrom,herinvestors.

12. AsaresultofJUDITH DIA'NNE PARIS-PINDER'Sm aterialmisrepresentations

to investors,from in orazound November2019,through in orarotmd October2021,PARISPINDER falselyandfraudulentlyobtainedatleastapproximately$4,614,000from retailinvestors

intheSouthern DistrictofFloridaandelsewhere.

UseoftheW ires

13. On oraboutAugust2,2021,in M inm i-DadeCotmty,inthe Southem Districtof

Florida,andelsewhere,thedefendant,JUDITH DIANNE PARIS-PINDER,forthepurposeof

executingthe aforesaid schem eand artificeto defraud,andto obtain money and property f'rom

investorsbym eansofm ateriallyfalseandfraudulentpretenses,representations,andpromises,did

knowinglytransm itandcausetobet'ransmitted,bymeansofwirecommunicationininterstateand

foreigncom merce,certainwdtings,signs,signals,pictures,andsotmds,tow it,awiretransmission

ofapproximately$10,000f'rom anaccountatUSAAFederalSavingsBankinNew York,through

serversinTexasandNew Jersey,toanaccotmtcontrolledbydefendantatTD BankintheSouthem

DistrictofFlorida.

lnviolationofTitle18,UnitedStatesCode,Section 1343.

5

Case 1:22-cr-20452-DPG Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 09/23/2022 Page 5 of 9
FORFEITURE ALLEGATIONS

1. TheallegationsofthisInfonnationareherebyre-allegedandbythisreferencefully

incop oratedhereinforthepurposeofallegingforfeittlretotheUnitedStatesofAmericaofcertain

propertyinwhichthedefendant,JUDITH DIANNE PARIS-PINDER,hasaninterest.

2. Upon conviction ofaviolation ofTitle 18,United StatesCode,Section 1343,as

alleged in thisInform ation,the defendantshallforfeittotheUnited Statesany property,realor

personal,whichconstitutesorisderivedfrom proceedstraceabletosuchoffense,pursuanttoTitle

18,UnitedStatesCode,Section981(a)(1)(C).

3. Thepropertysubjecttoforfeitureasaresultofthealegedoffenseincludes,butis

notlim itedto,thefollowing:

a. A forfeituremoneyjudgementinthesum ofapproximately$2,439,000in

UnitedStatescurrency,whichsum representsthevalueofanypropertythat

constitm es or is derived from proceeds traceable to Defendant's

comm ission oftheoffense.

4. Ifanyofthepropertysubjecttoforfeiture,asaresultofanyactoromissionofthe

defendant:

a. cnnnotbelocatedupontheexerciseofduediligence;

b. hasbeentransfen'edorsoldto,ordepositedwith,atltirdparty;

c. hasbeenplacedbeyondthejurisdictionofthecourt;

d. hasbeensubstantiallydiminishedinvalue;or

e. hasbeencom mingledwith otherpropertywhichcannotbedividedwithout

difficulty,

theUnitedStatesshallbeentitledtoforfeitureofsubstitutepropertyundertheprovisionsofTitle

21,UnitedStatesCode,Section853û$.

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A1pursuanttoTitle18,UnitedStatesCode,Section981(a)(1)(C)andtheproceduresset

forthinTitle21,UnitedStatesCode,Section853,asincorporatedbyTitle28,UnitedStatescode,

Section2461(c)

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BRIC E.M ORALES

A SSISTANT U .S.ATTORN EY

Case 1:22-cr-20452-DPG Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 09/23/2022 Page 7 of 9
UM TED STATESDISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLOW DA

UNITED STATESOF AM ERICA CASE NO.:

V.

JUDITH DJANNEPARIS-PINDER,

/

Defendant.

CourtDivision(selectone)

lZlMiami E!KeyW est IQFTP

E1FTL ElW PB

ldoherebycertifythat:

1. Ihave carefully consideredtheallegationsoftheindictm ent,then'lmberofdefendants,thenumberofprobable

witnessesandthelegalcom plexitiesofthelndictment/lnformation attachedhereto.

CERTIFICATE OF TRIAL ATTORNEY W

SupersedingCaseInform ation:

New Defendantts)(YesorNo)

NumberofNew Defendants

TotalnumberofNew Counts

Iam awarethattheinformationsupgliedonthisstatementwilberelieduponbytheJudgesofthisCourtinseïting

theircalendarsandschedulingcrimmaltrialsunderthemandateoftheSpeedyTrialAct,Title28U.S.C.j3161.

lnterpreter:(YesorNo)No

Listlanguageand/ordialect:

Tlziscasewilltake 0 daysforthepartiestotry.

Pleasecheckappropriatecategoryandtypeofoffenselistedbelow :

(Checkonlyone) (Checkonlyone)

1 Z'0to 5days LIpetty

11 IZI6to10days EIM inor

III E111to20days I'.J M isdemeanor

IV L'21to60days z,y'elony

V D 61daysandover

HasthiscasebeenpreviouslyfiledinthisDistrictCourt?(YesorNo)No

lfyes,Judge CaseNo.

Hasacomplaintbeenfiledinthismatter?(YesorNo)No

lfyes,M agistrateCaseNo.

8. Doesthiscase.relatetoapreviouslyfiledmatterinthisDistrictCourt?(YesorNo)No

lfyes,Judge CaseNo.

9. Defendantts)infederalcustodyasof

10. Defendantts)instatecustodyasof

11. Rule20from the Districtof

l2. Isthisapotentialdeathpenaltycase?(YesorNo)No

13. Doesthiscaseoriginatefrom amatterpendingintheNorthernRegionoftheU.S.Attorney'sOffice

priortoAugust8,201.4(M ag.JudgeShaniekMaynard?(YesorNo)No '

14. Doesthiscaseoriginatefrom amatterpendingintheCentralRegionoftheU.S.Attorney'sOffice

priortoOctober3,2019(M ag.JudgeJaredStrauss?(YesorNo)No

h

By: 14.kEricE.M orales

AssistantUnitedStatesAttorney

FLA BarNo. 1010791

Case 1:22-cr-20452-DPG Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 09/23/2022 Page 8 of 9
UNITED STATESDISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

PENALTY SHEET

Defendant'sNam e: JUDITH DIANNE PARIS-PINDER

CaseNo:

Count#:

Title18sUnitedStatesCode.Section 1343

W ireFraud

*M ax.Term ofIm prisonm ent: 20years

*M andatoryM in.Term ofImprisonment(ifapplicable): N/A

*M ax.SupervisedRelease: 3years

*M ax.Fine: $250,000fineortwicethegrosslossnmotmt

*R efersonly topossibleterm ofincarceration,supervised releaseandfines. Itdoesnotinclude

restitution,specialassessm ents,paroleterm s,orforfeituresthatm ay beapplicable.

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