Ventura man arrested on 27 counts of scamming County residents

malady arial, doctor sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;”>Gilbert Ramon Infante (DOB 1/21/1960) of Ventura was arrested for allegedly running investment scams primarily targeting Ventura County residents. Infante is charged with 27 counts, order including securities fraud, elder fraud, grand theft, identity theft, forgery, and the aggravated white collar crime enhancement. This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation.

From 2006 through 2015, Infante solicited dozens of victims to invest money with him, ostensibly to fund development and marketing of sports-related products he claimed he invented and owned. Infante persuaded investors his products were commercially viable and would produce spectacular returns. Infante told his victims he had obtained or was pursuing patents and had negotiated licensing deals with major professional sports organizations, franchises and product manufacturers. Infante circulated licensing and royalty agreements between his company and third-party companies that were purportedly fully negotiated and in effect. Principals of those companies confirm the agreements were fraudulent and that they never did business with Infante. Victim losses in the case exceed $300,000.

Infante is currently in custody at the Ventura County jail with bail set at $1 million by Superior Court Judge Harry Walsh. Arraignment will occur on February 11, 2016, at 9:00 a.m., in courtroom 12 of the Ventura Superior Court, County of Ventura. If convicted of all pending charges, Infante faces a maximum sentence of 17 years 4 months in prison. Individuals who believe they may have been victimized by Infante are asked to contact District Attorney Investigator Michael Munn at (805) 662-1719.

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