A veteran of the U.S. Navy was given a two-year prison sentence for defrauding fellow soldiers and active-duty seamen of about$ 300,000 in a fraud involving an investment account.
Robert L. Murray, a retired chief petty officer, lost investors ‘ money in the 2021, GameStop, and “meme stock” wave by using investors ‘ money on gambling trips to casinos in , Cleveland , and elsewhere.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Manish Shah ordered Murray to start serving his sentence right away and pay$ 112, 000 in compensation in Chicago.
Murray, 45, is likewise facing a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the company in 2022. While the legal case was being heard, that circumstance has been put on hold.
At the time of the program, Murray resided in , North Canton , and , Chicago, but later moved to , Alaska, according to court documents.
Federal prosecutors and SEC , attorneys for Murray were charged with violating the respect he had established with other service members.
He established an investment portfolio and contacted investors from Facebook and Discord, Navy-specific parties, and Facebook.
According to lawyers, Murray founded an LLC called Deep Dive Strategies and accepted$ 342,000 in investment from 40 local residents and some international clients.
Rather of investing, lawyers claimed, he almost immediately used the money on personal expenses. Additionally, he suffered significant losses on GameStop, Stock, and the .
According to prosecutors, he lost all the investors ‘ money in six months.
Murray remained a member of the military until 2018, when he retired.
He served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Afghanistan, where he treated wounded warriors and suffered at least one traumatic brain injury, according to Holly Blaine, the defense attorney, in court documents. He afterwards received diagnoses with other mental illnesses and post-traumatic stress disorder.
He was completely disabled as a result of the injury he sustained in the military.
According to Blaine,” It is also clearly distinct from his arrest report that not only his judgment but even his earlier arrests and convictions when well” ( ).
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