Andrew Hamilton Jacobus, a 64-year-old investment advisor from Fort Lauderdale, has been arrested and charged with wire fraud and money laundering, following accusations that he orchestrated a Ponzi scheme which swindled over $94 million from investors, mainly Venezuelan nationals. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida released a statement detailing Jacobus’s arrest and the charges against him. Federal prosecutors claim between 2019 and 2023, Jacobus misrepresented his role as a trustworthy financial advisor while siphoning off client money for personal gain and to maintain the facade of a functioning investment firm.
Investigations reveal Jacobus utilized entities he controlled, such as Kronus Financial Corporation and Finser International, to lure investors with promises of secured, high-yield returns while he instead used their funds for lavish personal expenses. The indictment alleges that forged statements, falsified documentation were part of the strategies Jacobus employed to deceive his clients and further his fraudulent scheme.
Caught by federal agents in Fort Lauderdale, Jacobus awaits judicial proceedings after making an initial court appearance, where he faces up to 20 years imprisonment for each of the wire fraud and money laundering counts alongside the possibility of asset forfeiture and restitution mandates. The case announcement was made jointly by U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne and IRS-CI Special Agent in Charge Emmanuel Gomez of the Miami Field Office, points out the U.S. Attorney’s Office press release…