Internet Fraud Casebook

Chapter 13. Not-So-Precious Metals

MICHAEL J. MOLDER

Cristoforo (Cris) Marino's parents died in an automobile accident when he was twenty-seven years old, leaving him, their only child, with an unexpected nest egg. Cris owned a successful computer consulting business and had neither the interest nor the ability to run his parents' specialty foods company, which consisted of a chain of three gourmet food shops and a catering service. Selling his parents' business left Cris with several hundred thousand dollars, most of which he invested in a variety of mutual funds offered through national fund management companies. Still, Cris had been intrigued by the financial markets for years, so he decided to keep some of the proceeds to put together his own portfolio.

About a year later, things were going fairly smoothly. Some of his stock choices were up; others were down a bit. Cris had invested all but about $50,000, for which he was trying to find something different — something tangible — an investment he could point to as his own. Cris considered real estate, but he wasn't sure he wanted to stay in the area and feared it would tie him down too much. He thought about art, coins and other collectibles, but he knew he lacked the knowledge to make informed investment choices. While reading one of his favorite online investment advice blogs, Cris found an option that met all of his criteria: mobility; ownership of specific, identifiable property; and a limited learning curve — precious metals. ...