2 Texans Charged In $1M Real Estate, Enlightenment Fraud
DALLAS (AP) - Two Texas men have been indicted in a $1 million real estate investment scam that prosecutors say involved pricey cars, private jets and religious deception.
U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox on Friday announced the arrest of 23-year-old Joshua Pugh of Dallas and 50-year-old Johnny Glenn Clifton of Frisco.
They're charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and wire fraud. Detention hearings are Tuesday.
Investigators say the suspects claimed ties to the illuminati -- secret groups purported to have members with special intellectual or spiritual abilities. The indictment says the victim is religious and didn't think fellow Christians were capable of deception.
Prosecutors say Pugh and Clifton spent investment money on cars, expensive travel and paid someone $400 monthly to put in and take out Pugh's contact lenses.
Both requested court-appointed attorneys.
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