GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) — A newly filed lawsuit compares the schemes of famous fraudsters Charles Ponzi and Bernie Madoff to a woman’s investments in the Celebration Point plaza project.

Patricia Shively, 74, claims she was misled into investing and guaranteeing loans worth hundreds of millions of dollars for the project. With Celebration Pointe filing for bankruptcy protections, Shively faces “financial ruin.”

On Tuesday, attorneys representing Shively say they filed a lawsuit against developer Viking Construction and owner Svein Dyrkolbotn as well as wealth management firm Koss Olinger and partner William Olinger, among others.

According to the lawsuit, Shively turned to William Olinger and his company to manage her fortune after her divorce from insurance magnate William Shively.

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