According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, a lady of Haitian heritage from Palm Beach County defrauded 80 investors, the most of whom were Haitians living in South Florida, of more than $900,000. The suspect, 23-year-old Alexandra Robert, invested some of the money in cryptocurrencies for her own use and used the rest to pay for her rent, car, college courses, hair and beauty products, and cosmetic surgery in addition to her rent and car.
In a complaint filed on July 26, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) claims that Robert and her two businesses, Chalala Academy LLC in Boynton Beach and Lendvesting Academy Corp. in West Palm Beach, advertised “investment programs” that promised “risk-free” returns of up to 48 percent in 2020 and 2021. The so-called programs were designed to provide loans to small business owners who did not meet the requirements of conventional lenders.
Robert and her businesses released films in Creole on social media claiming they had raised more than $4 million from 1,000 investors and had distributed $2.6 million to them. Robert stated in her investment agreement that he would offer the small businesses apps, loan servicing, business advising, website construction, and social media services.
Lantana’s Robert promised investors that her companies would generate “very high” guaranteed investment returns by approving loans to small businesses. However, Robert is accused of misappropriating investor funds and running a ponzi scheme with them by using them to pay out payouts to other investors instead of producing profits.
According to the SEC, the majority of the donors who provided her money were introduced to Robert through social media and word-of-mouth in the Haitian community of South Florida.
Federal prosecutors described how Robert misused part of the cash gathered for personal costs, including $90,000 in a cryptocurrency investment, in a table that was included in the complaint that was submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
The SEC asks for prejudgment interest, which compensates those harmed before a judgment is handed down against Robert, as well as permanent injunctive relief, an order to stop an action, the disgorgement of gains that were allegedly obtained illegally or the repayment of funds that were improperly received. One of the harshest fraud penalties is the officer-and-director level of charges she is facing, which immediately ends any further employment with a public sector entity.
