男子承认参与逾6000万美元庞氏骗局：以过桥贷款为饵、回报全靠新投资者的钱
位于犹他州 Utah County 的 Lehi 11月2日公布一宗庞氏骗局案件：一名当地男子向联邦法院认罪，承认参与一宗向数百名投资者募集逾6,000万美元的投资骗局。
被告 Matthew Morrison Bates 现年42岁，住 Lehi。他于11月2日初次出庭，并就共谋电信诈骗与共谋洗钱两项罪名认罪。他于2026年9月30日被以重罪信息书起诉。
根据法庭文件与 Bates 在认罪听证上的供述，约自2020年5月至2025年6月，Bates 与同伙在犹他区等地设计并实施了一套投资诈骗：以短期本票招揽投资者，谎称资金将专门由 Bates 的公司 Hedgehog Investments LLC 用于向有需要的企业发放「过桥贷款」，帮助企业减轻债务、提升信用资质，贷款收回后投资者可获得可观回报。
实际上，Hedgehog Investments 从未发放过这类过桥贷款。所谓投资回报全部来自新投资者投入的资金，以此营造出项目盈利的假象。司法部表示，投资者损失逾6,000万美元。
Bates 的量刑定于2027年1月12日上午11时，在 Salt Lake City 市中心的 Orrin G. Hatch 联邦法院3.4号法庭、由一名联邦地区法官主持。
联邦检察官 Melissa Holyoak 当天宣布了这一认罪。案件由犹他州证券司与联邦调查局（FBI）盐湖城外地办公室联合查办，助理检察官 Mark E. Woolf、Tanner Zumwalt 与 Brian Williams 代表政府起诉。
（来源：美国司法部）
Matthew Morrison Bates Admits Role in Ponzi Scheme That Cost Investors More Than $60 Million
Lehi, in Utah County, Utah, saw a Ponzi scheme case move forward on November 2: a local man pleaded guilty in federal court to taking part in an investment scheme that collected more than $60 million from hundreds of investors.
The defendant, Matthew Morrison Bates, 42, of Lehi, appeared in court on November 2 for his initial appearance and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. He was initially charged by felony information on September 30, 2026.
According to court documents and admissions made at Bates' change of plea hearing, beginning in or around May 2020 and continuing in or around June 2025, within the District of Utah and elsewhere, Bates and others devised and executed a scheme to defraud investors in an investment scheme involving short-term promissory notes. Investors were falsely promised the notes would be used exclusively by Bates' company, Hedgehog Investments LLC, to extend 'bridge loans' to companies seeking financial assistance to reduce debt and maximize their creditworthiness, among other benefits.
In reality, Hedgehog Investments did not extend bridge loans, and any investor returns were paid with new investor funds, giving the false appearance of profitability. The Justice Department said investor losses exceed $60 million.
Bates is scheduled to be sentenced on January 12, 2027, at 11:00 a.m. in courtroom 3.4 before a U.S. District Court judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
United States Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah made the announcement. The case was investigated jointly by the Utah Division of Securities and the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Mark E. Woolf, Tanner Zumwalt, and Brian Williams are prosecuting the case.
(Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
来源：美国司法部
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图：位于 Salt Lake City 的美国联邦法院大楼（犹他区联邦地区法院所在地）。Swilsonmc 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The U.S. Courthouse for the District of Utah in Salt Lake City. Photo by Swilsonmc, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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