Jeanne M Rowzee

An Irvine lawyer convicted last year of conspiracy and securities fraud in a scheme that bilked investors out of tens of millions of dollars pleaded not guilty Monday to new charges of credit card fraud and forgery. Jeanne M. Rowzee is accused of fraudulently applying for credit cards in her children's names and adding herself to the accounts as a second cardholder.

An Irvine lawyer convicted last year of conspiracy and securities fraud in a scheme that bilked investors out of tens of millions of dollars pleaded not guilty Monday to new charges of credit card fraud and forgery. Jeanne M. Rowzee is accused of fraudulently applying for credit cards in her children's names and adding herself to the accounts as a second cardholder.

A federal magistrate ordered Irvine securities lawyer Jeanne M. Rowzee held without bond Wednesday after prosecutors contended she was a flight risk. Rowzee, who is charged with wire fraud in an alleged $20-million investment scam, will remain in the Santa Ana city jail, which houses some pretrial defendants in federal cases. Her attorney, Craig Wilke, a federal public defender, had asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Nakazato to postpone Rowzee's initial appearance in U.S.

Federal securities regulators sued Irvine lawyer Jeanne M. Rowzee and two former partners Monday, accusing them of a scheme to use at least $20 million of investors' money "as their own personal piggy bank." In its civil complaint, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Rowzee, Santa Ana insurance salesman James R. Halstead and Texas venture capitalist Robert T. Harvey of taking in $52.7 million from more than 150 investors. The trio had promised to put the money in securities known as private investment in public equity, or PIPEs, which they said would return as much as 54% in 12 to 16 weeks, according to the SEC's lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana. "Instead, the defendants engaged in a Ponzi scheme, used investor funds to pay off other investors and misappropriated investor funds for their own personal use," read the complaint, which alleges fraud and other securities violations.

A Santa Ana man accused in civil lawsuits of defrauding investors of $20 million now faces a criminal charge of drugging a former Olympic figure skater in a foiled attempt to sexually assault her, according to a complaint filed by the Orange County district attorney's office. An arrest warrant was issued Wednesday for James R. Halstead, a 61-year-old insurance salesman who faces one felony count of giving a "narcotic, anesthetic and intoxicating agent" to an unwitting woman identified in the complaint as "Oksana G. " An Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesman confirmed Thursday that the alleged victim was Oksana Grishuk, 36, who won two gold medals for Russia in the 1990s.

Federal securities regulators sued Irvine lawyer Jeanne M. Rowzee and two former partners Monday, accusing them of a scheme to use at least $20 million of investors' money "as their own personal piggy bank." In its civil complaint, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Rowzee, Santa Ana insurance salesman James R. Halstead and Texas venture capitalist Robert T. Harvey of taking in $52.7 million from more than 150 investors. The trio had promised to put the money in securities known as private investment in public equity, or PIPEs, which they said would return as much as 54% in 12 to 16 weeks, according to the SEC's lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana. "Instead, the defendants engaged in a Ponzi scheme, used investor funds to pay off other investors and misappropriated investor funds for their own personal use," read the complaint, which alleges fraud and other securities violations.

A federal judge has socked James R. Halstead with a $22-million summary judgment, ruling that the Santa Ana insurance salesman solicited the money for sophisticated investments but instead blew it on fast cars, a mistress and Las Vegas real estate. Halstead, 61, also faces punitive damages in the scheme, in which he and Irvine securities lawyer Jeanne M. Rowzee allegedly took in tens of millions of dollars from individual investors who ran the gamut from wealthy developers to retirees on fixed incomes.

Jeanne M. Rowzee, an Irvine securities lawyer accused of bilking scores of individuals of more than $20 million in a sophisticated investment scheme, was arrested at her home Tuesday on federal wire fraud charges. FBI agents picked up Rowzee at 2:55 p.m., hours after she agreed in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana to pay about $66 million in compensatory and punitive damages to plaintiffs in a civil lawsuit accusing her and Santa Ana insurance salesman James R. Halstead of taking their money.

A Santa Ana insurance salesman accused of bilking investors out of tens of millions of dollars and spending it on exotic sports cars and Las Vegas real estate was indicted Wednesday on federal wire fraud, mail fraud and money-laundering charges. The 16-count indictment against James R. Halstead comes a week after a federal judge ordered him to pay investors more than $66 million in damages in civil lawsuits. In lawsuits and criminal proceedings, Halstead, 61, is accused of conspiring with Irvine securities lawyer Jeanne M. Rowzee to solicit millions of dollars from individual investors who ran the gamut from wealthy developers to retirees on fixed incomes.

State insurance regulators have revoked the license of Santa Ana agent James R. Halstead, who is being held without bail on charges that he bilked investors of millions of dollars and spent the money on a high-flying lifestyle. Halstead, 61, was indicted last month on federal wire fraud, mail fraud and money-laundering charges stemming from an alleged scheme in which he and Irvine securities lawyer Jeanne M.

A federal judge has socked James R. Halstead with a $22-million summary judgment, ruling that the Santa Ana insurance salesman solicited the money for sophisticated investments but instead blew it on fast cars, a mistress and Las Vegas real estate. Halstead, 61, also faces punitive damages in the scheme, in which he and Irvine securities lawyer Jeanne M. Rowzee allegedly took in tens of millions of dollars from individual investors who ran the gamut from wealthy developers to retirees on fixed incomes.

A Santa Ana man accused in civil lawsuits of defrauding investors of $20 million now faces a criminal charge of drugging a former Olympic figure skater in a foiled attempt to sexually assault her, according to a complaint filed by the Orange County district attorney's office. An arrest warrant was issued Wednesday for James R. Halstead, a 61-year-old insurance salesman who faces one felony count of giving a "narcotic, anesthetic and intoxicating agent" to an unwitting woman identified in the complaint as "Oksana G. " An Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesman confirmed Thursday that the alleged victim was Oksana Grishuk, 36, who won two gold medals for Russia in the 1990s.

A federal magistrate ordered Irvine securities lawyer Jeanne M. Rowzee held without bond Wednesday after prosecutors contended she was a flight risk. Rowzee, who is charged with wire fraud in an alleged $20-million investment scam, will remain in the Santa Ana city jail, which houses some pretrial defendants in federal cases. Her attorney, Craig Wilke, a federal public defender, had asked U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Nakazato to postpone Rowzee's initial appearance in U.S.

An Orange County insurance broker was sentenced Wednesday evening to 10 years in federal prison for stealing millions in investor dollars that he spent on exotic cars, expensive jewelry and a Las Vegas house. James R. Halstead, who pleaded guilty to three charges in the case, had persuaded victims to invest $50 million from 2004 to 2006 by offering to pay them returns of 25% to 35% over three to four months. Instead of investing the money as promised, however, Halstead used new investors' deposits to make interest payments to earlier investors and kept millions for himself, federal prosecutors said.