A North Miami woman defrauded investors out of $4.6 million over less than two years and spent $1 million of the money on herself, for her wedding, vacations and other entertainment, according to a federal criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Miami.
A separate civil lawsuit filed last week by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission accuses the woman, Judith Paris-Pinder of targeting more than 280 investors, primarily from South Florida’s Haitian-American community, in the scheme.
Paris-Pinder, as president of North Miami-based Pinder Associates, offered loan agreements to investors, promising returns of up to 50% within 30 to 90 days, according to complaints filed on Sept. 23 and Sept. 26 in U.S. District Court in Miami.
Paris-Pinder, 48, is accused of committing the fraud between November 2019 and October 2021.
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She targeted victims largely through word-of-mouth referrals from prior investors as well as from relationships with local Haitians and Haitian-Americans, the SEC suit states. Investors were instructed to send Paris-Pinder money via cash apps Zelle and CashApp, wire transfer, or through in-person bank tellers, the SEC said.
She told investors that their funds would be used to make advance loans to personal injury clients of a prominent Miami-based attorney who she said were about to receive lawsuit settlements, the complaints state.
In reality, Paris-Pinder “misappropriated…
