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United States of America v. John Lopez
Date: 08-11-2025
Case Number: 1:22-cr-02053
Judge: Matthew L. Garcia
Court: The United States District Court for the District of New Mexico (Bernalillo County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: The United States Attorney’s Office for Albuquerque
Defendant's Attorney: Click Here For The Best Albuquerque, New Mexico Criminal Defense Law Lawyer Directory
Description:
Arizona Man Sentenced to 30 Years Imprisonment for $24 Million Ponzi Scheme
An Arizona man was sentenced to 30 years in prison and ordered to pay $24,065,636.20 in forfeiture following his conviction for orchestrating a Ponzi-style investment fraud scheme that defrauded more than 100 victims, many of whom were Northern New Mexican residents, out of millions of dollars. A restitution order remains pending.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial and sentencing, from 2014 to 2022, John Lopez, 74, solicited investments through his company, Personal Money Management Company (PMMCO), falsely claiming to have developed a proprietary algorithm that generated above-market returns. He guaranteed returns ranging from 10 to 42 percent annually and assured clients their money was invested in stocks and bonds. In reality, he used client funds to purchase precious metals and to make Ponzi-style payouts to earlier investors, disbursing $6.1 million to maintain the illusion of legitimate investment returns.
Lopez collected approximately $24 million from investors and used about $16 million to acquire precious metals, which he stockpiled in his home basement, office, a rented storage unit, and even buried underground.
All the bullion seized in November 2021
All the bullion seized in November 2021
When federal agents seized PMMCO's assets in November 2021, they recovered less than $15 million, far short of the $39 million Lopez falsely claimed was under management.
Despite the seizure, Lopez continued to solicit new investors and issue fake account statements. He lived comfortably on a self-assigned six-figure salary while portraying himself as a successful investor with assets rivaling major financial institutions. Trial evidence revealed that he failed to segregate or track individual investments, lied about account balances, and actively discouraged large withdrawals to keep the scheme afloat.
After his indictment, Lopez violated his court-ordered release conditions at least five times—two before his conviction and three afterward—including committing additional fraud, making unauthorized financial transactions, refusing to turn over financial documents, and having prohibited contact with victims and witnesses.
Prior to sentencing, federal agents executed another search warrant on Lopez's home and recovered additional precious metals he had purchased with client funds. Specifically, the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service discovered approximately 19 boxes of silver coins, worth approximately $350,000, hidden in the crawl space under Lopez's home. To this day, however, the location of approximately $3 million in additional precious metals remains unknown.
Upon his release from prison, Lopez will be subject to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office and the U.S. Marshals Service investigated this case. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico is prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Attorney's Office brought a separate civil forfeiture action on April 15, 2022, seeking to forfeit assets seized in November 2021. Litigation in the civil proceeding is ongoing.
Albuquerque, New Mexico criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with $24 Million Ponzi Scheme
Arizona Man Sentenced to 30 Years Imprisonment for $24 Million Ponzi Scheme
An Arizona man was sentenced to 30 years in prison and ordered to pay $24,065,636.20 in forfeiture following his conviction for orchestrating a Ponzi-style investment fraud scheme that defrauded more than 100 victims, many of whom were Northern New Mexican residents, out of millions of dollars. A restitution order remains pending.
There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial and sentencing, from 2014 to 2022, John Lopez, 74, solicited investments through his company, Personal Money Management Company (PMMCO), falsely claiming to have developed a proprietary algorithm that generated above-market returns. He guaranteed returns ranging from 10 to 42 percent annually and assured clients their money was invested in stocks and bonds. In reality, he used client funds to purchase precious metals and to make Ponzi-style payouts to earlier investors, disbursing $6.1 million to maintain the illusion of legitimate investment returns.
Lopez collected approximately $24 million from investors and used about $16 million to acquire precious metals, which he stockpiled in his home basement, office, a rented storage unit, and even buried underground.
All the bullion seized in November 2021
All the bullion seized in November 2021
When federal agents seized PMMCO's assets in November 2021, they recovered less than $15 million, far short of the $39 million Lopez falsely claimed was under management.
Despite the seizure, Lopez continued to solicit new investors and issue fake account statements. He lived comfortably on a self-assigned six-figure salary while portraying himself as a successful investor with assets rivaling major financial institutions. Trial evidence revealed that he failed to segregate or track individual investments, lied about account balances, and actively discouraged large withdrawals to keep the scheme afloat.
After his indictment, Lopez violated his court-ordered release conditions at least five times—two before his conviction and three afterward—including committing additional fraud, making unauthorized financial transactions, refusing to turn over financial documents, and having prohibited contact with victims and witnesses.
Prior to sentencing, federal agents executed another search warrant on Lopez's home and recovered additional precious metals he had purchased with client funds. Specifically, the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service discovered approximately 19 boxes of silver coins, worth approximately $350,000, hidden in the crawl space under Lopez's home. To this day, however, the location of approximately $3 million in additional precious metals remains unknown.
Upon his release from prison, Lopez will be subject to three years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Philip Russell, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office and the U.S. Marshals Service investigated this case. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Mexico is prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Attorney's Office brought a separate civil forfeiture action on April 15, 2022, seeking to forfeit assets seized in November 2021. Litigation in the civil proceeding is ongoing.
Outcome:
30 years in prison and ordered to pay $24,065,636.20 in forfeiture. Upon his release from prison, Lopez will be subject to three years of supervised release.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments:
About This Case
What was the outcome of United States of America v. John Lopez?
The outcome was: 30 years in prison and ordered to pay $24,065,636.20 in forfeiture. Upon his release from prison, Lopez will be subject to three years of supervised release.
Which court heard United States of America v. John Lopez?
This case was heard in The United States District Court for the District of New Mexico (Bernalillo County), NM. The presiding judge was Matthew L. Garcia.
Who were the attorneys in United States of America v. John Lopez?
Plaintiff's attorney: The United States Attorney’s Office for Albuquerque. Defendant's attorney: Click Here For The Best Albuquerque, New Mexico Criminal Defense Law Lawyer Directory.
When was United States of America v. John Lopez decided?
This case was decided on August 11, 2025.