Former Colorado real estate agent must repay more than $1 million stolen from investors
A Berthoud man was sentenced last month in Weld County after taking more than a million dollars in investors' money meant for a new condominium complex and spending it on his own overseas vacation and sporting events.
Bret Lamperes, 54, was ordered by a Weld County judge to repay $1,062,500 he transferred to his own accounts, the Weld County District Attorney's Office stated in a press release. Lamperes was also sentenced to 90 days in the Weld County Jail and 10 years of probation with "strict financial conditions."
If Lamperes fails to abide by the terms of his probation, he will sentenced to 18 years in state prison, per the DA's Office.
Lamperes was a real estate agent in February 2015 when he formed Investments of Windsor, LLC. Under that company's name, Lamperes entered 29 sales contracts with investors to construct condominiums in the Grasslands Park project in Windsor. However, only eight of the 29 condos were built pursuant to the sales contracts, per prosecutors.
"This man was living a lifestyle only some of us can dream about," Weld Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Pirraglia stated after the sentencing hearing. "It's devastating to hear how this has had such a ripple effect on these victims and their families. Some of these victims, who were getting ready to retire, are now having to work several more years, and even having to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. All because of the greed and deceit at the hands of one man."
"Our goal with this was to help us prepare us for retirement," one victim told the judge during the sentencing hearing. "This money we worked really hard to save and we were looking to also use this for our children's future."
"In faith, we gave Bret our money to invest in this real estate transaction," another victim said, as quoted by the DA's Office. "We trusted him to do the right thing."
Last December, with trial dates looming, Lamperes agreed to plead guilty to a single count of securities fraud and face the judge for sentencing. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the 14 other counts of felony theft and tax evasion that he'd originally been charged with.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Colorado Department of Revenue assisted the investigation.
Lamperes is no longer certified as a real estate agent in Colorado. He and Keller Williams Realty are listed as defendants in an ongoing civil case filed in Weld County.
