Marco Giovanni Santarelli billed himself as a “wealth creator.”

On podcasts and websites, Santarelli, 56, pitched his Laguna Niguel private equity firm, Norada Capital Management, which offered unsecured, high-yield promissory notes backed by investments in Broadway musicals, real estate and cryptocurrency.

But federal authorities allege it was all a scam, a Ponzi scheme that bilked some 500 clients nationwide of $62.5 million in investments — retirement money, family savings, nest eggs.

Santarelli was charged Monday, Sept. 8, with one count of wire fraud and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles.

Investigators have seized more than $5 million connected to the scheme and are looking for more assets, said a news release.

Acc

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