The U.S. Department of Justice filed a verified complaint for forfeiture against Global1Entertainment and its owner, Richard Maike, on January 14, 2015. This action, kept under seal for over eighteen months, alleged wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, and structuring. Federal agents seized $153,850 from a Kentucky residence associated with Maike the following day.
The complaint remained sealed until July 1, 2016, preventing public disclosure of the federal investigation's specifics. A redacted version of the original complaint became accessible on June 5, 2015, offering initial details of the government's case. The full original document, however, continues to be restricted from public view.
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents executed a search warrant on January 15, 2015, at a residence on Briarcliff Trace in Owensboro, Kentucky. During this operation, agents seized $153,850 in currency. Richard Maike and Angela Leonard were listed as residents of the property. The warrant cited violations related to mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and structuring of financial transactions, indicating a coordinated effort to conceal illicit gains.
Global1Entertainment began as Infinity2Global in 2013, operating as a suspected Ponzi scheme. Such schemes rely on a continuous influx of new investor money to pay returns to earlier investors, rather than generating profits from legitimate business activities. Less than a year after its launch, Infinity2Global abruptly relaunched under the Global1Entertainment name. By September 2014, Global1Entertainment itself appeared to collapse, with numerous reports of affiliates being denied promised refunds. These denials suggested a failure to meet financial obligations to participants.
The Department of Justice alleges the seized property was obtained through fraudulent means. An affidavit filed by an FBI agent detailed the connections between the property and Maike's business operations. Maike established Finance Ventures LLC in Wyoming on February 6, 2013, listing a mailing address of 1402 Frederica Street, Owensboro, Kentucky.
Robb Flener, an accountant, operates his business from the 1402 Frederica Street location. Maike also registered the business trade name Infinity2Global in Wyoming for Finance Ventures on July 15, 2013. Maike and Flener subsequently filed a Foreign Business Entity Certificate in Kentucky on September 19, 2013, allowing Finance Ventures, doing business as I2G, to transact in the state. This filing again listed 1402 Frederica Street as the mailing address, solidifying its role as a central hub for the alleged scheme.
Maike, identified as the President of I2G, promoted the venture as an investment opportunity from both his home and the Owensboro business office. He directed investors to send funds, typically cashier's checks, directly to his residence via mail services. This method of receiving funds by mail forms a basis for the mail fraud allegations. Bank records for the scheme were also linked to the 1402 Frederica Street address. Flener is a co-signer with Maike on the Finance Ventures bank accounts and reportedly signs the majority of checks, indicating a direct role in managing the financial flows of the alleged operation. Structuring charges often arise when individuals make deposits or withdrawals in amounts just below the $10,000 threshold that triggers mandatory reporting to federal authorities, aiming to evade scrutiny.
Federal prosecutors continue to pursue asset forfeiture as a remedy for victims of alleged financial crimes, with the seized funds representing a potential recovery.