Ottawa County Resident, Robert Allen Haveman, Charged With Wire Fraud And Money Laundering In $16 Million Fraud Scheme

Robert Haveman Has Agreed To Plead Guilty and Repay $16,240,000

          GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — Robert Allen Haveman, 68, of Ottawa County, Michigan, was charged with two felonies in connection with a scheme to defraud the Elsa D. Prince Living Trust between 1999 and 2015, U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Miles, Jr. announced today. Haveman has signed a plea agreement in which he waived his right to indictment by a Grand Jury and agreed to enter guilty pleas to wire fraud and money laundering.

          The felony charges filed in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids allege that Bob Haveman, while employed by EDP Management Company ("EDP") in Holland, Michigan, devised a scheme to defraud to obtain money belonging to Elsa D. Prince-Broekhuizen and the Elsa D. Prince Living Trust ("Prince Trust"). As part of his fraud scheme, it is alleged that Haveman, who primarily managed private equity investments for EDP, transferred money belonging to Ms. Prince-Broekhuizen and the Prince Trust to his personal bank account and other bank accounts for his personal use and investment activities. Haveman allegedly caused false entries to be made in the books and records of EDP to disguise his theft of money, and made material misrepresentations to and concealed material facts from Ms. Prince-Broekhuizen and others. Haveman also is charged with money laundering in connection with the purchase of vacant land with Lake Michigan frontage in Ottawa County.

          Haveman faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the fraud charge and a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for money laundering. The Court will determine the sentence after considering the federal sentencing guidelines and statutory sentencing factors.

          Haveman has signed a plea agreement in which he agreed to plead guilty to the charges and admitted causing $16,240,000 in losses to the Prince Trust. An arraignment and change of plea will be scheduled with the Court. Until a defendant enters his plea and is found guilty, charges in a felony information are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

          Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation is investigating this matter and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher O’Connor is prosecuting the case.

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