A Beverly Hills man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for fraud over $18 million by the victim through cannabis-related cons.
According to the U.S. Lawyer’s Office, 69-year-old Mark Roy Anderson was sentenced Wednesday for stealing about $18.4 million from investors through fake claims that his company is involved in a fake bottled business, a retail product that has permeated cannabis.
Instead of investing the funds as promised, Anderson used the money on personal expenses such as Ojay’s real estate and purchased 15 vehicles, including the Ferrari, officials said.
At the time of the scheme, Anderson was convicted of multiple prior fraud. One scheme was committed while he was locked up at his home after being released from federal prison. The second scheme was committed while he was taking a supervised release for a conviction of fraud.
In the first scheme between June 2020 and April 2021, authorities said Anderson “deceived investors to fund his company called Harvest Farm Group.”
The company is said to have processed hemp grown on farms.
Anderson mistakenly told the victim that he owns and operates the Kern County Farm and has already completed a profitable harvest. He claimed using his machine to “convert hemp to CBD isolates and Delta 8. This is a psychoactive substance that can be used in consumer products ranging from olive oil to body creams, like CBD isolates,” the DA’s office said.
To prevent investors from seeking collections or reporting to law enforcement, Anderson misrepresented the sale of products from farm-grown hemp was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He then mistakenly promised to pay back the victim, and some of the money arising from the sale recently sold to Canadian companies
In the second scheme from April 2021 to May 2023, Anderson lied to investors, and his company Biopharma produced and sold CBD-infused products such as CBD-infused avocado oil, olive oil, painkillers, gummies, tequila and chili oil. His other company, Verta Bottling, is said to have produced and sold beverages and a variety of foods.
Anderson told the victims that his company owns assets worth millions of dollars, including hemp biomass, CBD isolates, CBD oil, manufacturing equipment and allocable leases to manufacture and sell products.
He told investors that his bottling company had $10 million purchase orders from suppliers and drafted fake legal and business documents to support those claims, the DA’s office said. Fake samples of the suspected products he was selling were also given to investors.
Instead of investing the funds as promised, Anderson spent money on personal expenses such as Ojay’s real estate and purchased 15 vehicles, including the Ferrari.
According to court documents, Anderson netted around $18,376,150 out of a total of 45 victims. He pleaded guilty in April 2024 to a two-count wire fraud.
“The magnitude of the fraud is breathtaking,” Judge Aenlle-Rocha said at Wednesday’s hearing. ” [victims’ statements reflect] The depth of harm. Many have lost their lives savings, reflecting decades of effort. ”
Aenlle-Rocha described Anderson as “a skilled and false con man,” saying that he “should protect the public from him as much as possible.”
“The defendant stole more than $18 million from dozens of investors by pledging a prompt return on investments in Hemp Farms and other exotic investments,” said US lawyer Joseph McNally. “Today’s writing will leave him off the street so that he cannot hurt other victims.”
Anderson agreed to “confiscate unauthorized benefits from these schemes” including Ojay’s real estate, Ferraris and other items, prosecutors said.
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