St. Petersburg Man Indicted In Investment Scheme

Tampa, Florida - Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Thomas Coelho(52, St. Petersburg), formerly Thomas Jurewicz, with two counts of wire fraud. If convicted, Coelho faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count. The indictment also notifies Coelho that the United States is seeking a money judgment of approximately $1.8 million, the proceeds of the wire fraud scheme.

According to the indictment, Coelho recruited investors for a business opportunity that purportedly involved purchasing event tickets and reselling those tickets to third parties for a profit. Coelho used his association with persons and entities in the entertainment industry to give the appearance of the means and ability to acquire tickets to certain high-profile events. Instead of using investors' money to buy event tickets, however, Coelho primarily used the funds for personal expenses, entertainment, and cash withdrawals.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel Jones and David Chee.