Gina Champion-Cain, the business powerhouse with the gleaming smile, mane of black hair and arresting personality, seemed invincible. So much so, the city of San Diego named a day after her. Now she’s a convicted felon with a title no one else can claim — architect of San Diego’s biggest Ponzi scheme. For nearly eight years, she swindled close to $400 million from hundreds of people, from close, longtime friends to major financial institutions. The once bustling restaurants, expensive homes and expanding empire were increasingly propped up by a brazen fraud that ruined friendships, business relationships — and eventually Champion-Cain herself.

Source: thestar September 01, 2022 19:04 UTC