TAMPA - A U.S. magistrate today allowed the conditional release of a man accused of bilking British citizens out of $100 million through a stock market scheme.
Robert Gunter, 58, was allowed by U.S. Magistrate Thomas B. McCoun to post a $1 million bond secured by property owned by his wife, Carleen Burnett Gunter.
McCoun also set additional conditions for release as Gunter awaits trial, which includes being electronically monitored and house arrest.
The British citizen - who was applying for his U.S. citizenship prior to his arrest in March - also must surrender his passport and cannot leave the area without first getting written permission from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
Gunter, along with his daughter, Zibiah Joy Gunter, 25, were arrested March 13 and charged by federal authorities with involvement in a scheme to "hijack" dormant publicly traded companies. This allowed the two to tout these companies as established businesses that had sold shares previously, authorities said.
The father-daughter team sold stock that was "virtually worthless," authorities said, and more than 1,000 investors in the United Kingdom purchased the stock.
Zibiah Gunter was released March 17 on a $150,000 bond secured by property owned by Carleen Burnett Gunter.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement
Advertisement