http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,44169,00.html Casino Investment Scam Craps Out By Declan McCullagh (declanat_private) 10:55 a.m. May 30, 2001 PDT WASHINGTON -- A federal grand jury indicted a 23-year-old Utah resident on charges of running a brash scam that bilked investors out of over $4 million by promising them shares of a Internet and casino gaming company. Robert Robb of Orem, Utah, falsely claimed that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer offered him $50 million, that magician David Copperfield had participated in a Las Vegas launch of the multiplayer gaming terminals, and that Mirage Resorts had licensed the systems, according to the 8-page indictment released Tuesday. Nick Humy, an assistant federal public defender in San Jose, California, said his client appeared in court on Tuesday and pled not guilty to each of the 11 counts of wire fraud and extortion. The case provides a glimpse into the seamier side of the Internet boom around September 1999, when Robb allegedly began to raise millions of dollars from wealthy Microsoft employees and Silicon Valley investors by forging documents and promising easy money from casinos. [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe, visit http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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