Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces that Edison Denizard (40, Orlando) has pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Denizard faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, between March 2016 and June 2017, Denizard raised millions of dollars from dozens of victims who believed that they were investing in specific music concerts through legitimate businesses owned by Denizard and a co-conspirator, Andres Fernandez. Fernandez and Denizard lured investors by guaranteeing them large returns and promising that all of the funds that they provided would be invested in events by top artists, including Drake, Garth Brooks, Pitbull, The Weeknd, and Maná. In fact, neither Denizard nor Fernandez was involved in most of the events.
Denizard used most of the funds that he had received from investors to pay fraudulent “investment returns” to earlier investors and for his own personal use, including to purchase a new lakefront residence and luxury hotel stays. The total amount of victims’ losses attributable to Denizard are $7,479,453.
Fernandez previously pleaded guilty to 12 counts of wire fraud and was sentenced earlier this year to 10 years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chauncey A. Bratt.
