APRIL 19, 2022:

A federal judge has sentenced John Rick Winer, 68, of New Mexico, who was convicted for his role in conspiracies to commit fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice.

Winer was sentenced to 262 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, almost $11 million in restitution and the forfeiture of a residence in Norway, a luxury vehicle, about 4 million dollars in silver coins and a laptop. He was also ordered to pay $1,200 to the Federal Victims of Crime Fund.

Defendants John Rick Winer, Nathan Peachey and others were originally indicted by a federal grand jury on November 5, 2019. A second replacement indictment was filed on October 6, 2020. Peachey and Winer were tried in November 2021, and the jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts against both defendants. Peachey was sentenced on February 14, 2022 to 300 months in federal prison and ordered to pay approximately $11 million in restitution. Winer was originally scheduled to be sentenced the same day but did not show up.

According to evidence presented at trial and court documents, Peachey resided and operated out of the state of Pennsylvania and a suburb of Oslo, Norway. Peachey helped solicit millions of dollars from investors in the United States, and he received funds from others involved in the fraudulent scheme. Funds obtained by and through Peachey were, in part, laundered through and into domestic and international bank accounts. After receiving funds, Peachey would wire or transfer funds to his co-conspirators, and he also used funds for his personal expenses.

Winer resided and operated from the state of New Mexico, among other places. Winer recruited people from South Dakota and elsewhere to invest in various projects, and he solicited funds that were obtained through the fraudulent scheme. After receiving funds, Winer transferred or forwarded funds to his co-conspirators and others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, and he also used funds for his personal expenses.

Regarding the scheme to defraud victims across the country, Peachey and Winer, along with their co-conspirators, informed investors that the money provided to one or more of the co-conspirators would be used for charitable projects. or humanitarian, often using religion. to entice and entice victims to invest money in the scheme. They also promised that there would be a return on investment. Peachey and Winer informed investors that monies paid to one or more of the co-conspirators would not be spent on personal expenses. The investors’ money was not used for charitable or humanitarian projects, and the investors never received any return on investment related to the monies provided to Peachey, Winer or their co-conspirators. The purpose of the plot was to enrich the co-conspirators, who all amassed nearly $13 million and then spent the proceeds of the fraud on a luxury residence in the suburbs of Oslo, Norway, the charges house renovations, a Mercedes Benz, almost $4 million in cash, travel and personal expenses. This fraud scheme has affected victims from all over the United States, including South Dakota, Minnesota, Arizona, New Mexico, Florida, Colorado, Pennsylvania and North Carolina .

While espousing sovereign and religion-based ideologies and employing such tactics, Peachey, Winer and their co-conspirators independently or jointly used entities to perpetrate the fraud scheme, including, but not limit: AG Enterprises, LLC; Winer’s House; Jacobs Provision Trust; The Joseph Project; Jericho Outreach; Jericho Outreach – Norway; Christian Charity Foundation; and G47 Initiative. These entities were fake and used to receive the proceeds of fraud and launder money.
Once Peachey and Winer learned of the investigation in South Dakota and elsewhere, they also conspired to obstruct justice. Peachey and Winer conspired to corruptly obstruct, influence and obstruct the investigation of the agencies listed below and various legal proceedings.

This case was investigated by the following entities: Internal Revenue Service criminal investigation; Federal Bureau of Investigation; ØKOKRIM, Norwegian National Authority for the Prosecution and Investigation of Economic and Environmental Crimes, Oslo, Norway; Oslo Police Department, Norway; Office of International Affairs of the Ministry of Justice; and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigations.

Winer was immediately returned to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to begin serving his prison sentence.

DECEMBER 1, 2022:

Nathan J. Peachey, 50, of Pennsylvania, and John Rick Winer, 67, of New Mexico, were convicted by a federal jury in South Dakota on various charges of fraud, money laundering and obstruction .

Peachey was found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, conspiracy to obstruct justice and nine counts of laundering monetary instruments. Winer was also found guilty of the three conspiracy offenses, in addition to four counts of wire fraud and five counts of laundering monetary instruments. The jury also returned a special verdict regarding the forfeiture of a residence in Norway, a luxury vehicle and silver coins.

“By luring the victims into believing that their money would be invested for a better humanity, the defendants engaged in a long-running international plan to steal and launder victims’ money for personal enrichment,” he said. said Acting U.S. Attorney for South Dakota Dennis R. Holmes. “The jury’s verdict validates the extensive work of this office and its law enforcement partners in the United States and Norway. Together, we will continue to use all available tools to combat and prevent criminals from exploiting victims for personal gain.

“Mr. Peachey and Mr. Winer preyed on the charitable hearts of innocent victims. IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to unraveling complex schemes that send victims’ money overseas. We will continue to work with our partners charged of law enforcement to track ill-gotten gains and bring these criminals to justice,” said Special Agent in Charge, Tyler Hatcher, IRS Criminal Investigation, St. Louis Field Office.

“During the trial, we heard testimony from the defendants boasting on tape of their ability to defraud ‘99% of the population’, which shows that anyone can be the victim of a scam,” the court said. FBI Special Agent Michael Paul. “But it only strengthens our resolve to hold these scammers accountable for their actions, regardless of the type of scam or their target.”

The maximum penalties for each of the charges are 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both a prison term and a fine, a three-year sentence of supervised release, a special contribution of $100 to the Federal Fund for Victims of Crime, Restitution and Forfeiture.

According to evidence presented at trial, Peachey resided and operated out of the state of Pennsylvania and a suburb of Oslo, Norway. Peachey helped solicit millions of dollars from investors in the United States, and he received funds from others involved in the fraudulent scheme. Funds obtained by and through Peachey were, in part, laundered through and into domestic and international bank accounts. After receiving funds, Peachey would wire or transfer funds to his co-conspirators, and he also used funds for his personal expenses.

Winer resided and operated from New Mexico, among other places. Winer recruited people from South Dakota and elsewhere to invest in various projects, and he solicited funds that were obtained through the fraudulent scheme. After receiving funds, Winer transferred or forwarded funds to his co-conspirators and other known and unknown people and he also used funds for his personal expenses.

Regarding the scheme to defraud victims across the country, Peachey and Winer, along with their co-conspirators, informed investors that the money provided to one or more of the co-conspirators would be used for charitable projects. or humanitarian, often using religion. to entice and entice victims to invest money in the scheme. They also promised that there would be a return on investment. Peachey and Winer informed investors that monies paid to one or more of the co-conspirators would not be spent on personal expenses. The investors’ money was not used for charitable or humanitarian projects, and the investors never received any return on investment related to the monies provided to Peachey, Winer or their co-conspirators. The plot was intended to enrich the co-conspirators, who all amassed nearly $13 million, then spent the proceeds of the fraud on a luxury residence in the suburbs of Oslo, Norway, the expenses of home renovation, a Mercedes Benz, nearly $4 million in cash, travel and personal expenses.

This fraud scheme has affected victims from all over the United States, including South Dakota, Minnesota, Arizona, New Mexico, Florida, Colorado, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Peachey, Winer and their co-conspirators, independently or jointly, used entities to perpetrate the fraudulent scheme, including, but not limited to: AG Enterprises, LLC; Winer’s House; Jacobs Provision Trust; The Joseph Project; Jericho Outreach; Jericho Outreach – Norway; Christian Charity Foundation; and G47 Initiative. These entities were fake and used to receive the proceeds of fraud and launder money.

Through extensive coordination and partnership, this complex and longstanding fraud and money laundering case was investigated and prosecuted by the following entities:

• Internal Revenue Service criminal investigation;
• Federal Bureau of Investigation;
• ØKOKRIM, Norwegian National Authority for the Prosecution and Investigation of Economic and Environmental Crimes, Oslo, Norway;
• Oslo, Norway, Police Department;
• Office of International Affairs of the Ministry of Justice; and
• South Dakota Criminal Investigation Division.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeremy R. Jehangiri and Ann M. Hoffman prosecuted the case.

A pre-sentence hearing has been ordered and a sentencing date has been set for February 14, 2022. The defendants have been released pending their sentencing hearings.