Man Gets 4 Years for Stealing $800,000 in Broker Fraud Scheme

A 55-year-old unlicensed broker pleaded guilty April 11 and was immediately sentenced to four years in prison for stealing about $800,000 from several clients in Orange County from 2016 through 2019. Kelly Curtis was facing 10 counts of grand theft and 10 counts of money laundering, all felonies. He also received sentencing enhancements for aggravated white collar crime exceeding $500,000 and was given credit for 592 days in custody. The defendant “led investors to believe that he was a licensed broker, and took money from at least four individuals who believed Curtis was investing the money through his company, K Curtis Financial Group,” Deputy District Attorney George Smith said in court papers. “Curtis was not a licensed broker at the time.”...