REGISTERED SECURITIES SALESPERSON FROM MADISON COUNTY CHARGED WITH MAIL FRAUD IN INVESTMENT SCHEME

A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on May 20, 2009, NEIL ROLLA HARRISON, age 54, of Alton, Illinois, was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury sitting in East St. Louis, Illinois, in a one-count Indictment charging him with Mail Fraud.

The charge carries a maximum statutory penalty of up to twenty years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000, three years supervised release and mandatory restitution.

An indictment is a formal charge against a defendant. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.

The Indictment charges that NEIL ROLLA HARRISON, while registered to sell securities, offered and sold fraudulent investments which he represented would be in the gold market or commodities futures and thereafter used investor’s funds to support his gambling habit. The Indictment alleges that he defrauded at least five investors in the Southern District of Illinois of approximately $85,739.

The investigation of the case was handled by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Illinois Securities Department. The prosecution of the case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Norman R. Smith for prosecution.

People who believe they have been a victim of securities fraud should contact the Illinois Securities Department at 1-800-628-7937.