Would you spend 21 days in prison for $1 million dollars? 2016 Ponzi Scheme Analytics

Dynamic Securities Analytics, Inc. in partnership with Jordan Maglich of PonziTracker.com published interactive analytics of alleged Ponzi schemes revealed and Ponzi-related prison sentences for 2016.

Key Take-Aways:

 

  • 59 new alleged Ponzi schemes were revealed in 2016. This is down from 61 schemes uncovered in 2015 and 70 schemes in 2014. However, the $2.3 billion potential loss revealed in 2016 is far greater than the $800 million total from 2015.
  • 67 individuals were sentenced in 2016 for Ponzi-related violations.
    • The median sentence for schemes valued less than $5,000,000 was 33 months (2.75 years). These individuals on average will spend 39 months in prison for each $1 million dollars stolen.
    • Individuals sentenced in schemes valued over $100,000,000 received a median 168 months (14 years) and will spend on average 21 days in prison for each $1 million dollars stolen.
    • By comparison, the average federal sentence for robbery in 2015 was 117 months with a median loss of $2,898. Therefore, robbers are sentenced to 40,372 months in prison for each $1 million stolen. Similarly, the average 2016 federal sentence for theft was 22 months with a median loss of $137,828. Therefore thieves were sentenced to 159 months per $1 million stolen.
  • New York was home of the largest dollar value of alleged Ponzi schemes with six schemes valued at over $1.07 Billion although most of that sum was accounted for by one large alleged scheme.
  • California was home to the highest count of alleged Ponzi schemes with nine schemes originating from the Golden State.

 


Other DSA Posts on Ponzi Schemes

How to Run a Successful Ponzi Scheme

When will it Collapse? A Ponzi Scheme Calculator