SEATTLE (AP) - A 28-year-old man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for a $6 million stock fraud.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle says Keenan A. Gracey, formerly of Newcastle, Washington, posed as a British billionaire with degrees from the London School of Economics and Oxford. He rented Bentleys, Ferraris and homes in exclusive neighborhoods to play the part.
He then persuaded Seattle-area investors to buy what he described as stock that was yet to undergo an initial public offering, with some turning over as much as $745,000. In reality, he simply stole the money, and continued doing so even after the Securities and Exchange Commission sued him in 2018.
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U.S. Attorney Brian Moran called Gracey a financial predator and said some of the victims lost their retirement funds and were driven into bankruptcy.
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