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Press Release

Radford Man Charged With Operating Ponzi Scheme

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Virginia
Charles G. Shomo Alleged To Have Stolen More Than $590,000

ROANOKE, VIRGINIA – A Radford, Va., man who allegedly bilked investors out of more than $590,000 with promises of high interest returns on investments in his company, has been charged by a federal grand jury sitting in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Roanoke.

In an indictment returned today, the grand jury has charged Charles G. Shomo, 63, of Radford, with three counts of mail fraud, two counts of securities fraud and one count of money laundering.

Charges were filed following a thorough and cooperative investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Virginia State Corporation Commission, the Commonwealth’s Attorneys’ Offices for Giles, Smyth, Floyd and Wythe counties, along with the Sheriff’s Offices for Giles, Smyth, Floyd, Wythe and Pulaski counties.

According to the indictment, in 1999 Shomo founded P&G Enterprises LLC, a business originally established to purchase and set-up retail ATM and credit card processing systems throughout Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. P&G purportedly developed revenue from fees charged to users who obtained cash from P&G ATMs and from retailers that used P&G’s credit card processing service.

It is alleged that between December 2006 and June 2013 Shomo solicited investors under the representation that investor funds would be used to load ATM units and generally fund the operation of the ATM business. In return, Shomo offered investors promissory notes that typically matured over a one-year time period and paid an annualized interest rate of at least 5.95 percent. Unbeknownst to investors, Shomo was using investor funds for his personal expenses and to help fund an unrelated scooter business.

Additionally, Shomo is accused of using new investors’ funds to pay existing P&G note holders. The indictment claims that between March 2010 and June 2013, Shomo received in excess of $595,000 in proceeds from the sale of P&G promissory notes to investors.

Assistant United States Attorney C. Patrick Hogeboom III and Gauhar R. Naseem, Associate General Counsel-Financial Services, Office of General Counsel for the Virginia State Corporation Commission will prosecute the case for the United States. A Grand Jury Indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Updated April 10, 2015