Wire fraud can be a serious federal crime. Lawrence Foster, a Miami Beach resident, was convicted on all counts following a jury trial for his role in defrauding over 100 investors of over $8 million dollars. Foster fraudulently promised investors that his company, Paradise is Mine, was developing land in the Bahamas. Foster was sentenced yesterday to 152 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay over $8 million in restitution by the U.S. District Judge Donald L. Graham. According to, the Department of Justice:
- The government announced its intent to use the forfeited monies to repay a portion of the $8 million owed to the victims of the fraudulent scheme.
- Foster’s co-defendants were previously sentenced for their roles in the fraudulent scheme.
- Salesperson Jordon McCarty, 37, of Fort Lauderdale, was sentenced in November 2013, to 78 month’s imprisonment for his role in defrauding investors. Johana Leon, 39, of Miami Beach, was sentenced in May 2015, to one year and one day imprisonment, after being convicted of structuring currency transactions.
- Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI. The case was tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys H. Ron Davidson and Robert Watson. Assistant United States Attorneys Evelyn Sheehan and Karen Moore handled the forfeiture proceedings in this case.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or onhttp://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.