Updated
Updated · The Augusta Press · Aug 17
Drive Planning CEO Gets 20 Years for $380 Million Georgia Ponzi Scheme
Updated
Updated · The Augusta Press · Aug 17

Drive Planning CEO Gets 20 Years for $380 Million Georgia Ponzi Scheme

3 articles · Updated · The Augusta Press · Aug 17

Summary

  • $380 million fraud brought a 20-year federal prison sentence for Drive Planning CEO Todd Burkhalter after he pleaded guilty to wire fraud.
  • More than 2,000 investors were defrauded in what authorities described as possibly the largest Ponzi scheme in Georgia history.
  • Burkhalter pleaded guilty in January and was ordered to pay $234 million in restitution.
  • Two other Drive Planning employees were also sentenced, extending the fallout from a scheme that used false promises and funded yachts, luxury vehicles and private jets.

Insights

Will victims ever recover the $234 million restitution, or did private jets and luxury condos drain the funds entirely?
How did a CEO hide a $380 million phantom real estate empire from investors while funding a lavish lifestyle?