The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California announced the arrest and indictment of Matthew Piercey in connection with a fraud and Ponzi investment scheme involving Family Wealth Legacy and Zolla. Mr. Piercey is alleged to have raised approximately $35 million from investors between 2015 and 2020. In an unusual twist on investment fraud cases, Mr. Piercey allegedly fled in a vehicle from law enforcement when they attempted to arrest them. The chase ended at a lake where witnesses saw Mr. Piercey take something from his truck before swimming into the water. The Sacramento Bee reported that Mr. Piercey remained in the lake for approximately 25 minutes, using a submersible sea scooter to move around underwater.
The indictment, describing the fraud and Ponzi scheme in detail, is available here.
