by Brian Mahany
Losing one’s life savings to a Ponzi scheme promoter would be devastating to anyone. We often see courtroom footage of victim’s families attacking defendants at sentencing hearings when emotions are the highest. Usually these assaults occur in connection with a homicide or sex crime. In Longwood, Florida it was the victim of a Ponzi scheme that allegedly went berzerk.
WFTV reports that Adam Pollock was arrested for felony assault after the woman who ripped him off showed up at the gym he owns. Apparently Pollock had invested with Tina Mangiardi who subsequently admitted to authorities the masterminding a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme.
She is free even though she admitted her guilt while Pollock is being held without bond. Mangiardi says he choked her and threatened to cut off her fingers and toes with a knife he was brandishing.
While we certainly sympathize with Pollock and the other victims of Ponzi schemes, self help rarely works. In this case, he faces more prison than she does and probably a lawsuit as well.
Because we always look for the story behind the story, we did some more checking and learned that Mangiadi allegedly used her good looks (she was a model) and suggested that as a woman, she could be awarded government contracts as a “minority owned” business. She also played on her deep Christian values. (Apparently she never learned the 8th Commandment at Sunday School – “Thou Shalt Not Steal”.)
Using one’s connection to God, a particular ethnic group or community is called affinity fraud. It is particularly devastating to victims because of the special bond or trust that exists within that community. Emotions can and do run high when the fraud is exposed.
Obviously, violence is not the answer. As fraud lawyers, we help victims get back their hard earned money with a minimum amount of stress and hassle. If you lost money to a Ponzi scheme or other fraud, give us a call. Most cases that we accept can be handled on a contingent fee basis meaning no legal fees unless we collect for you.
Our fraud lawyers are involved in a wide variety of cases including Ponzi schemes, stockbroker fraud, cases against banks and even legal and accounting malpractice cases. For more information, contact attorney Brian Mahany. Brian can be reached at or by telephone at (direct). All calls are protected by the attorney – client privilege and kept in strict confidence.
Mahany & Ertl – America’s Fraud Lawyers. Offices in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Detroit, Michigan; Portland, Maine; Minneapolis, Minnesota and San Francisco, California. Fraud recovery available in many jurisdictions.
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