A federal judge from the District of Minnesota has denied the request of a man — who tried to fabricate his net worth to purchase an NHL team — to vacate, set aside or correct a jail sentence that was administered for that and other crimes.
Jason “Bo” Beckman was well on his way to being an owner of the Minnesota Wild NHL franchise in 2008 before Joel Barth, an accountant hired by the league, found evidence that Beckman was lying about his net worth.
He was ultimately indicted, accused of helping to run a $194 million Ponzi scheme. He had hoped to use the funds to convince the NHL that he should be allowed to buy a portion of the Wild. Following an eight-week trial, Beckman, a former high school and college hockey player, was found guilty of multiple counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, filing false tax returns and tax evasion.
Beckman appealed. The court didn’t budge.
“The evidence presented at trial overwhelmingly demonstrated that Beckman and his co-conspirators defrauded victims by convincing them to invest their money in a sham currency program that they falsely claimed would earn a 10 to 12 percent return,” wrote the judge. “They also told investors their investments were held in segregated accounts and that the investment was risk-free and completely safe.”
Meanwhile, the court noted that “substantial evidence was also presented at trial regarding Beckman’s scheme to defraud the NHL in order to obtain an ownership interest in an NHL team. To become an owner of an NHL team, Beckman had to demonstrate that he had a substantial net worth. To demonstrate his net worth, Beckman hired the law firm of Briggs and Morgan, and through this firm, Beckman made a number of fraudulent financial disclosures related to the fraudulent currency scheme. The individual hired to evaluate the financial information provided by Beckman, Barth, eventually determined that virtually all of the information Beckman provided regarding his net worth was fraudulent and not supported by proper documentation.”
United States of America v. Jason Bo-Alan Beckman; D. Minn.; Crim. No. 11-228 (01) (MJD), 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 33674; 2/28/18
Attorneys of Record: (for Respondent) David J. MacLaughlin and Tracy L. Perzel, Assistant United States Attorneys. (for Beckman) pro se.
