#investor-fraud

#investor-fraud

A prominent Orange County philanthropist and well-connected jeweler is now accused of bilking wealthy investors out of millions of dollars and then fleeing the country, according to a series of civil lawsuits filed over the past few months in both state and federal court. Moti Ferder, the co-founder and until recently CEO of Newport Beach-based Lugano Diamonds, is alleged to have defrauded more than 40 creditors out of hundreds of millions of dollars, according to more than a half-dozen lawsuits filed by multiple investors.