According to the evidence presented during the trial, in approximately September 2009, JACKSON, using the alias “C. David Manns,” established Jalin Realty Capital Advisors, LLC, using a business address in Dayton, Ohio. In 2011, JACKSON changed the name of his business to American Capital Holdings, LLC, using business addresses in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Soon after changing the business name, JACKSON began introducing himself to victim clients as “Charles Jackson” and then also used the name “Andrew Smithson” to prevent victims from learning his true identity and the true nature of his background and his scheme.
HURT held himself out as Vice President of Brightway Financial Group, LLC, a company that used a business addresses in Grapevine, Texas. As established during the trial, HURT used his background as a pastor with a Brockton, Massachusetts church to gain the confidence of at least one victim who lost money in the scheme.
JACKSON, HURT and others defrauded individuals, including Connecticut residents, who wired funds to them in anticipation of receiving large business loans. The upfront fees were alternately described as “application fees,” “collateral fees” or “commitment fees.” The victims were promised a refund of the upfront fees if their loan transactions were not completed. In order to convince victim-borrowers that the loans were legitimate and Jalin and ACH had successfully secured loans in the past, JACKSON provided victims and potential victims the name and phone number of a co-conspirator and told them that they could contact her for a reference. After she was contacted, the co-conspirator falsely represented to victims and potential victims that she had, in fact, received funding from JACKSON for a construction loan, and that she had successfully done a project financed with her co-conspirator and Jalin. The reference she gave was false and was just another part of the scam.