Diamond Dealer Accused of $170,000 Fraud
July 28, 20
(IDEX Online) - A New York diamond dealer is accused of defrauding two investors out of $170,000 in a get-rich-quick scheme.
Brian L. Schumacher, 55, former head of Rochester-based Integra Diamonds, has been charged with wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy and faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 if convicted.
Both alleged victims invested $100,000. One was promised a minimum $60,000 return within a year from the sale of diamonds sourced in Sierra Leone, between April 2016, and January 2017, according to a press release issued by the US Attorney's Office.
One alleged victim, from Massachusetts, lost $70,000, after being contacted by a co-conspirator, and the other, from California, lost their entire $100,000 investment, say court documents filed at the Western District of New York federal court.
The first alleged victim had been skeptical about the generous return that was promised, but was reassured by false claims that Integra had other investors and had agreements with a logistics vendor and US-based diamond purchasers, say the documents.
Schumacher, of Penfield, New York, allegedly used the second victim's money to buy 1,211.85 carats of industrial diamonds for $30,296.25, which he then resold to a US diamond broker for $11,514.