Former ally of Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein arrested after two years on the lam
Authorities Tuesday arrested a former associate of imprisoned Fort Lauderdale Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein who had been on the lam since he was sentenced to 17½ years in federal prison in absentia in 2018.
Eddy Marin, 58, had been a fugitive from justice since July 23, 2018, when he was supposed to show up for a court hearing to explain why he had been caught using cocaine while he was free on bond and awaiting sentencing for securities fraud.
Federal prosecutors said the “pump and dump” stock fraud made more than $1 million for Marin and his associates in Broward County.
For now, Marin is being held in a Broward jail facility for federal inmates. Marin’s defense attorney in the securities fraud case, Dennis Urbano, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Marin has been in and out of prison for much of his adult life. His most recent stint, in 2015, was 10 months for conspiring to obstruct justice when he helped to hide more than $1 million worth of Rothstein’s jewelry from the feds. Rothstein, a disbarred Fort Lauderdale lawyer, was sentenced to 50 years for his lead role in a $1.2 billion investment scheme that also led to the conviction of about 30 associates, including Marin.
Marin, who was arrested Tuesday night by U.S. Marshals Service and Fort Lauderdale Police at a local residence, will now have to start serving his securities fraud prison term. He might also face a bond-jumping charge that could add another 10 years to his punishment.
Marin had already pleaded guilty to the fraud case in June 2018, and U.S. District Judge Darrin Gayles had scheduled his sentencing for that September. But Marin disappeared on the day he was summoned for an earlier hearing to revoke his $100,000 bond because the cocaine usage violated the terms of his release as he awaited sentencing.
The former boxing promoter was dubbed the “King of Spammers” more than a decade ago when experts said he sent out 250 million unsolicited emails a day from his Boca Raton office.
This story was originally published October 14, 2020 at 10:16 AM.
