Orange County, CA – Federal authorities in Orange County have charged a man with defrauding more than 500 investors out of an estimated $62.5 million, in a case with victims and a starting point right here in Indiana.

The investigation, spearheaded by Homeland Security Investigations and ICE in Indiana, has led to a major federal indictment.

According to a Department of Justice announcement, Marco Santarelli has been charged with running a sophisticated Ponzi scheme. Santarelli, the founder of a private equity fund, luring investors from across the country, including Indiana, with what he called “hands-off” promissory notes.

He promised high-yield returns of 12% to 15% from investments in ventures like real estate and cryptocurrency. However, investigators say the assets did not exist a

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