Jeri Mellon; Led Investors’ Campaign Against Charles Keating

Jeri Mellon, 70, who mobilized small investors defrauded by Charles Keating Jr. and his Lincoln Savings and Loan. Formerly of Sherman Oaks, Mellon lost $40,000 in defunct bonds after Lincoln went bankrupt in 1989. To recoup losses from its parent company American Continental Corp., she organized and chaired the Lincoln/ACC Bondholders Action Committee, which preferred to call itself “Victims of Keating.” Through a class-action lawsuit, Mellon recouped about $24,000 of her money, which had been her retirement nest egg. Her testimony and that of other defrauded pensioners helped convict Keating in 1993 on fraud, conspiracy and racketeering charges. After retiring to Nevada, Mellon continued to speak out for protection of small investors. She had campaigned against the federal bill enacted in December restricting shareholders’ ability to sue for securities fraud. On Jan. 7 in Henderson, Nev., of lung cancer.