A British conman who ran a £50m Ponzi scheme targeting investors in the UK and elsewhere has been jailed in the United States. Robert Tringham, 64, originally from Basford, Nottinghamshire, was convicted in a Los Angeles court on 10 counts of federal fraud and tax evasion.
Tringham presented himself as a successful businessman, living in a million-dollar home and cultivating an image of the American dream. However, US investigators say he left a trail of misery across 10 American states and several countries, defrauding victims including Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Depp, and John McEnroe, as well as a children's cancer charity and widows.
His scheme involved tricking investors into handing over $7.3m in a Ponzi scheme. One victim, British property developer Doug White, lost over $240,000. Tringham used the money to buy a house for his then-girlfriend. He also conned a Chicago children's cancer charity out of more than $1.5m.
Tringham's criminal history in the UK includes convictions for fraud, forgery, and theft, with a three-year prison sentence in 1989. After his release, he moved to the US on tourist visas and changed his name from Rodney to Robert. He faces up to 170 years in prison.
