Dynamic Securities Analytics, Inc. in partnership with Jordan Maglich of PonziTracker.com published interactive analytics of alleged Ponzi schemes revealed and Ponzi-related prison sentences for 2016.
59 new alleged Ponzi schemes were revealed in 2016. This is down from 61 schemes uncovered in 2015 and 70 schemes in 2014. However, the $2.3 billion potential loss revealed in 2016 is far greater than the $800 million total from 2015.
revealed in 2016 is far greater than the $800 million total from 2015. 67 individuals were sentenced in 2016 for Ponzi-related violations. The median sentence for schemes valued less than $5,000,000 was 33 months (2.75 years). These individuals on average will spend 39 months in prison for each $1 million dollars stolen. Individuals sentenced in schemes valued over $100,000,000 received a median 168 months (14 years) and will spend on average 21 days in prison for each $1 million dollars stolen. By comparison, the average federal sentence for robbery in 2015 was 117 months with a median loss of $2,898. Therefore, robbers are sentenced to 40,372 months in prison for each $1 million stolen. Similarly, the average 2016 federal sentence for theft was 22 months with a median loss of $137,828. Therefore thieves were sentenced to 159 months per $1 million stolen.
New York was home of the largest dollar value of alleged Ponzi schemes with six schemes valued at over $1.07 Billion although most of that sum was accounted for by one large alleged scheme.
California was home to the highest count of alleged Ponzi schemes with nine schemes originating from the Golden State.
Other DSA Posts on Ponzi Schemes
How to Run a Successful Ponzi Scheme
When will it Collapse? A Ponzi Scheme Calculator
CommunismWillTriumph on August 10th, 2017 at 16:57 UTC »
And it's way more expensive to keep robbers in jail than the actual sum of money they stole. It would be more cost effective to give out a basic income to possible offenders to deter crime to begin with.
Counterkulture on August 10th, 2017 at 16:39 UTC »
Just make sure you diversify your scamming, and don't scam too many REALLY rich people. Keep your portfolio full of municipal pension funds, a few liberal tech people, maybe a church or two...
Don't do what Madoff did and start systemically scamming super wealthy people. That's how you end up in prison for 450 years and your son hangs himself from his kitchen rafters.
DefNotJRossiter on August 10th, 2017 at 15:36 UTC »
Sounds to me like I'm gonna need to start a Ponzi scheme...