Norfolk – Lee-Hope Thrasher spent more than 10 years helping crime victims, both as director of the Virginia Beach victim witness program and as president of the Tidewater Victims Assistance Coalition. A crime victim herself, Thrasher once said after her home was burglarized that the crime ``takes away that feeling of invincibility. You know somebody can get to you.'' Now, Thrasher finds herself on the other side of the law. Court papers filed over the past four months show that she and a male companion obtained $31 million in what the pair called a ``divinely inspired'' investment plan. Federal authorities now say it was a scam.  Read more...

The stories surrounding elder abuse can make your skin crawl -- especially when they involve people in our own community. That's why the El Dorado County Commission on Aging brought a heavyweight group of panelists together Thursday at the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Center to address this under-reported but growing problem. El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Suzanne Kingsbury, the keynote speaker, gave several examples to a room full of curious seniors. She didn't have to go far to find them. Kingsbury shared an example from her own family in which an 82-year-old man's son embezzled the senior's life savings. Another recent story highlighted a 78-year-old man taken in by a Nigerian investment scam. Kingsbury, who admits that she learns more about people than she'd like to, added a local abuse case in which a son beat and neglected his parents because they refused to support his drug habit. Read more...

This is the ideal time to scam seniors. As a result, securities regulators are launching a major preemptive mission, hoping to educate and empower investors to avoid becoming victims. The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), which represents state and provincial securities regulators in the United States , Canada and Mexico , has announced a series of investor education initiatives and the creation of an online " Senior Investor Resource Center " full of tips and warnings for elderly investors. "These are dangerous times for seniors," said Christine A. Bruenn, NASAA president and Maine 's securities administrator. "We have a volatile stock market. A three-year bear market. Record-low interest rates. Mix all that in with rising medical costs and the fact that people are living longer. Read more...

In the end, Lawrence Barsi stole about $2 million from nearly 80 victims, prosecutors said. He bilked money from an elderly uncle and a blind aunt. He scammed from a childhood pal and even bilked the woman who sent him Christmas cookies every year. The 49-year-old apologized when he was sentenced Thursday to more than seven years in prison. "I'm sorry, I really am," Barsi said in federal court. "If you can't forgive me, I understand. But I'm really sorry." But the crowd of victims in the courtroom seemed immune to his apology. Some rolled their eyes. Others sighed or clucked their tongues. Read more...

State securities regulators say older investors are falling victim to investment scams. North Dakota Securities Commissioner, Karen Tyler, was among the officials who held a news conference in Washington today to alert seniors to the dangers of investment fraud. Tyler says a volatile stock market and rising costs for insurance, drugs and basic living expenses are making older Americans a target for scam artists. Seniors often live on fixed incomes and tight budgets. The scams promise them huge returns at a time of investor uncertainty and rising health care costs. Some target terminally ill people, offering cash up-front for their life insurance policies. Other scams involve sales of unregistered securities, bogus promissory notes and charitable gift annuities. Read more...

A Utah man who bilked fellow church members out of a half-million dollars could spend up to thirty years in prison.Thirty-year old Bryan Hawker was sentenced this morning after pleading guilty to six counts of securities fraud. According to Brian Hawker's victims, his investment plan seemed like a good deal. They now know it was simply too good to be true. A little justice in the end is making these people feel better.Brian Hawker learned he'll have to pay the price for what he took from fellow church members--if not in cash, in time behind bars. Five to thirty years after pleading guilty to six counts of securities fraud.Connie Miner, Scam Victim: "I hope he does not get out, because this is his lifestyle, he'll continue to do it." Neal Gunnarson, Assistant Attorney General for Utah: "I am delighted the courts slammed this guy. He had taken the hearts out of these people." It all started when Hawker told a few people at church that God had shown him in a vision that ten people would get rich by investing in his company. He had the plan laid out on a computer program, and Hawker was a good salesman. Read more...