Anti-DUI booklet author faces theft charges
A California man accused of stealing $1 million from 10 people who invested in the publication of an anti-DUI booklet was arrested in a Stateline casino on April 1.
George Ronald Russell, 65, is facing 12 counts of grand theft, two counts of attempted grand theft, two counts of theft from an elder, six counts of money laundering and two counts of possession of a firearm after being convicted of a felony in Ventura County, Calif.
Authorities are asking anyone who may have invested with Russell while he was at Lake Tahoe to call the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office at 805-232-3537 or the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office at 775-782-5126.
The Sheriff’s Office was notified that Russell was in the area and frequenting Stateline casinos. Security spotted him on a casino floor and deputies were able to arrest him on a warrant.
Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said that Russell made false claims to secure investments in publication of “The DUI Nightmare” He also resold interests in the booklet without paying the prior investors, according to the complaint.
Russell denied the charges at an April 11 hearing and is scheduled to return to court on May 2.
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