Joseph Cammarata, former CEO of Investview, faces new accusations of witness tampering in his ongoing tax fraud case. The Department of Justice filed a motion on September 6th, alleging he improperly contacted a key accomplice, David Punturieri, just days after Cammarata's June sentencing on related charges.
Cammarata's tax fraud charges are tied to his involvement in the Alpha Plus recovery scam. This scheme defrauded administrators of securities class action claims, along with the parties to the underlying settlements, out of more than $40 million. The perpetrators presented fraudulent claims to extract funds.
Last June, Cammarata received a criminal sentence for these related charges. The Securities and Exchange Commission also secured summary judgment against him on civil fraud charges last month, further detailing his involvement in the illicit operation.
During Cammarata's criminal trial, both David Punturieri and Erik Cohen, his co-conspirators, provided testimony against him. Their cooperation agreements led them to explain how the claims submitted through Alpha Plus were fraudulent. They detailed how the supposed "clients" they claimed to represent were fabricated and how backup documents to support these false claims had been manufactured.
Punturieri and Cohen also testified about their methods for making bribes and payoffs. They spoke about their shared anxieties over the potential for detection and subsequent incarceration. This testimony formed a critical part of the case against Cammarata.
According to the DOJ's motion, Cammarata reached out to Punturieri shortly after his June 6th sentencing. With the New Jersey trial scheduled to begin in less than three months, Cammarata sent a handwritten letter, dated June 16, 2023, to Punturieri from the federal prison where he was being held.
The letter, spanning twelve pages, was addressed to "Paul Delfino, Esq.," an alias Punturieri had used during the Alpha Plus scheme. Cammarata's correspondence showed a clear awareness of his upcoming New Jersey trial and acknowledged that Punturieri would again serve as a witness for the prosecution.
"Now, the gov't is trying to give me 25 more years (consecutive) on the bullshit tax case," Cammarata wrote. "They say that you and Dave [sic] will testify against me again, and that is fine, . . . ." He then repeatedly urged Punturieri to retract his prior testimony and instead support the false factual claims underpinning Cammarata's defense.
The DOJ submitted Cammarata's letter as evidence of tampering. In it, Cammarata wrote, "You may be able to still do the right thing, save my life . . . and you and your family." He continued, "You can still fix and save our families," and "[Y]ou need to stand up and stop this."
Cammarata pressed Punturieri, stating, "[Y]ou need to act now before sentencing. [S]ave our lives here!" He added, "Without you, Erik is alone and there cannot be a conspiracy with one person . . . ." Cammarata suggested Punturieri "should at least write a letter (affidavit) to judge [sic] Kenny that what the witnesses testified was true . . . ."
The letter also contained explicit threats should Punturieri fail to comply with Cammarata's demands. "5K1's are labeled rats and will be targeted, beat up, robbed, raped, or worse," Cammarata wrote, detailing the potential consequences for cooperating witnesses.