A jury convicted Burns of wire fraud and mail fraud for his part of a larger Ponzi scheme, which bilked $28 million out of 120 people. Burns identified potential investors through seminars that promoted his presentation and offered a free meal to attendees. He then followed up with prospective clients and pitched what he claimed was a uniquely profitable investment opportunity in Turkish bonds. But Burns didn’t tell them that the Turkish bonds didn’t exist. Their investments were used to pay other investors in the scheme.
USA Retirement Management was ordered out of business in 2010 by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. With no prior experience in estate planning or handling investments for clients, Burns held himself out as an experienced, certified estate planner to scam his clients.
If something sounds too good to be true-it probably is. Talk with a qualified estate planning attorney and resist the urge to get something for nothing.
