Man arrested for stealing hundreds of thousands from at least 20 people in investment scams
By WBBH News Staff
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CAPE CORAL, Florida (WBBH) — A Cape Coral man was arrested for stealing hundreds of thousands from at least 20 people in fraudulent investment scams.
Ludovic Laroche, 54, was arrested on charges of racketeering, securities/investments prohibited practices, embezzlement, sale of unregistered securities and violations of the Florida Securities and Investor Protection Act.
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), an investigation into Laroche began in 2020 after officials received a complaint.
Investigators said Laroche targeted the Haitian community by making several presentations to Haitian Christian church congregations across Lee, Charlotte and Collier counties.
According to FDLE, Laroche urged more than a dozen victims in one scheme to invest in Laroche Real Estate Investments, LLC, and told them he bought and flipped houses.
He promised them 10 percent annual interest on the investment; however, FDLE agents said he never bought houses to flip.
Over an eight-year span, he bought five properties and sold four of them, according to FDLE.
FDLE said Laroche collected more than $672,000 from the victims and only repaid $93,500 to them.
In another scheme, he persuaded victims to invest in Houdini Taxi Apps, LLC and told them he owned a taxi service and was developing a cell phone ride-share application.
However, further investigation revealed Laroche never owned any taxis, and the ride-share application never went public.
According to FDLE, Laroche convinced a neighbor to give him $15,000 to invest in a car company; however, Laroche never purchased the stock.
Laroche was arrested Tuesday, Nov. 8, and taken to Lee County Jail.
FDLE said the investigation is ongoing and FDLE agents believe there were more victims. Those with information can contact FDLE Fort Myers at (800) 407-4880.
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