Judgments Issued in Ponzi Case

A U.S. District Court judge has issued judgments against a Los Angeles attorney and an Arizona accountant for violating securities laws by running a $10.7-million Ponzi scheme involving the sale of investments in U.S. Treasuries. The action by U.S. District Judge Robert C. Broomfield stems from a complaint filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission in May against Anthony Ghirardello Marriott, 50, of Los Angeles and Steven Robert Shoop, 45, of Phoenix. The two men allegedly promised about 150 investors they would receive at least 12% annually for investments in U.S. Treasury securities. Instead, the SEC alleges the men misappropriated investor funds for their personal uses, such as investing in a Palos Verdes home, and transferred more than $3 million to bank accounts in the Bahamas.