In Brief : Fraud Suspect Returned to Florida
An investment adviser who lived for weeks in plush hotels in the Far East after fleeing Florida in August returned in handcuffs to face charges of embezzling up to $20 million from his clients, authorities said.
Henry Gherman, 52, was scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing this afternoon on fraud and embezzlement charges before U.S. Magistrate Linnea Johnson.
Gherman was extradited Tuesday after being jailed since October in Tokyo. He was arrested and sent to Japan by FBI agents after some American tourists recognized him in a Taiwan hotel.
The fugitive, who mailed written apologies to about 50 clients before he disappeared, arrived aboard a commercial flight at Miami International Airport Tuesday night.
According to a criminal complaint filed by the FBI, Gherman may have been making unauthorized transfers from his client’s pension plans to his North Miami Beach business since as early as 1978. Authorities said up to $20 million was embezzled from his clients, many of whom were Miami Beach physicians.
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