GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A jury has convicted an investment adviser of charges she defrauded investors out of millions of dollars, some of which she used to pay more than $800,000 for prayers by Hindu priests in India to ward off federal investigators.
Jurors convicted 56-year-old Dawn Bennett on Wednesday of fraud charges after a two-week trial in Maryland. Bennett was indicted on 17 counts, including charges of securities fraud, wire fraud and bank fraud.
Prosecutors said Bennett used money that people invested in her luxury sportswear company to finance her lavish lifestyle, including six-figure expenditures on astrological gems, cosmetic medical procedures and the religious rituals in India.
The FBI said agents also found evidence in Bennett's home that she cast "hoodoo" spells to stymie government attorneys investigating her alleged Ponzi scheme.
