Information for Victims in Large Cases
United States vs. Richard Smith
On March 29, 2021, a federal grand jury sitting in New Haven, Connecticut returned an indictment charging Smith with receipt and possession of child pornography. If convicted of the charges, Smith faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years. Smith is currently detained pending trial, which is scheduled for June 3, 2021 before Judge Jeffrey Meyer in New Haven.
United States v. Christian Meissenn, et al.
Christian Meissenn, William Lieberman, Damian Delgado (also known as Michael Neumann), and others ran a securities fraud “pump and dump” scheme. The defendants fraudulently induced investors to purchase stocks issued by shell companies under the control of Lieberman and other co-conspirators. The effect was to artificially boost the trading volume of the securities, create the appearance of liquidity, and falsely drive up the share price. The defendants and their co-conspirators then sold their own shares at a profit before allowing the price of the securities to fall, leaving investors with worthless and unsalable stock. As a result, victim investors lost millions of dollars. The defendants laundered their profits through the trust accounts of various attorneys, including Corey Brinson. The issuing companies involved in the scheme included Terra Energy Resources Ltd. (stock symbol “TRRE”); Mammoth Energy Group, Inc. (stock symbol “MMTE”), a company that later became Strategic Asset Leasing Inc. (stock symbol “LEAS”); Trilliant Exploration Corporation (stock symbol “TTXP”); Hermes Jets, Inc. (stock symbol “HRMJ”), which later became Continental Beverage Brands Corporation (stock symbol “CBBB”); Dolat Ventures, Inc. (stock symbol “DOLV”), and Fox Petroleum, Inc. (stock symbol “FXPT”). Meissenn, Lieberman, and Delgado have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and tax evasion charges. They await sentencing. Brinson has pleaded guilty to money laundering, and has been sentenced to 3 years in prison.