Durham, 1 partner to be jailed until sentencing
A federal judge has ordered an Indiana financier and a business partner jailed until they are sentenced for swindling investors out of $200 million.
Fraud
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Durham, Fair Finance partners face detention hearing
A federal judge will hear evidence on whether Tim Durham, Jim Cochran and Rick Snow should be kept in jail until they are sentenced.
Outlook improves for Fair Finance investors
A New York firm is contacting Fair Finance Co. investors seeking to purchase their bankruptcy claims—a sign of growing optimism that investors in the defunct business will secure a sizable recovery.
Durham attorney vows to appeal guilty verdict
An attorney for convicted fraud mastermind Tim Durham vowed Thursday to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary to prove his client did nothing wrong.
Jury begins deliberations in Durham fraud trial
The jury began deliberations Wednesday morning in the federal fraud trial of financier Tim Durham and two co-defendants.
Durham trial closing arguments provide clashing accounts
The prosecution described Tim Durham as "the mastermind" of a Ponzi scheme, while partner Jim Cochran acted as the front man who lied "to people's faces," and Chief Financial Officer Rick Snow served as the "backroom numbers guy."
Prosecution rests after testimony from Fair Finance trustee
Attorneys for Tim Durham and his co-defendants are expected to start their defense Tuesday morning and wrap it up in the afternoon. The jury is expected to begin deliberations Wednesday.
AUDIO: Wiretaps capture Durham, co-defendants scrambling
A series of government-recorded phone calls have provided some of the most riveting courtroom moments during the fraud trial of Tim Durham and two co-defendants.
Fair Finance CFO staying out of prosecutors’ crosshairs
Rick Snow, Fair Finance Co.'s former chief financial officer, isn't accused of collecting insider loans like co-defendants Tim Durham and Jim Cochran. But he's facing the same felony charges.
Trial evidence shows desperation in Fair Finance’s final days
The men who presided over Ohio-based Fair Finance were at their wits end by late 2009. In government-recorded phone calls and intercepted e-mails introduced as evidence in U.S. District Court this week, they come across as exhausted, angry and determined.
VIDEO: Fair Finance investor’s family lost $475K
Donald Russell, a retired deputy sheriff, is among the more than 5,000 clients of Fair Finance who lost big investments with the Ohio firm. After testifying on Tuesday during the fraud trial for Fair owner Tim Durham, he shared his story with IBJ.
Durham trial: Fair Finance controller details cash crunch
The former controller at Fair Finance is testifying at the fraud trial of Tim Durham as a star witness for the federal government in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
Donald Fair leads off government’s case against financier Durham
The man whose father founded Ohio-based Fair Finance during the Great Depression led off the government's case on Monday against the Indianapolis men accused of looting the company and leaving its investors with $200 million in losses.
Judge, attorneys in Durham trial look for jurors untainted by media reports
A federal judge and a handful of attorneys are selecting jurors who could determine the fate of indicted financier Tim Durham and his co-defendants. The jury-selection process, which began Friday morning, launched what’s expected to be a three-week trial over alleged wire and securities fraud.
Jury selection set to start in Durham fraud trial
The criminal case against Tim Durham and co-defendants Jim Cochran and Rick Snow is set to begin Friday in front of federal Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson. Prospective jurors in the high-profile trial will be asked whether they can be impartial and not be influenced by what they have heard, read or seen about the case.
Durham lawyer wants lifestyle out of trial
Tim Durham’s attorney is hellbent on preventing prosecutors from fixating on the things that made the Indianapolis financier a staple of TV news and gossip columns—his fancy cars, waterfront mansion and other trappings of a lavish lifestyle. Durham’s trial is set to begin on Friday.
Lawsuit takes on debt-modification firm
A lawsuit filed in Georgia against an Indianapolis firm that helps consumers settle debt is just one in a parade of complaints targeting the industry.
Dan Laikin spurred probe of Tim Durham, filings reveal
The FBI had been investigating Tim Durham since March 2009, when his friend Dan Laikin, a Fair Finance board member, offered up incriminating information on the Indianapolis financier in hopes of securing a lighter sentence for himself in an unrelated case.
Feds say wiretaps show evidence of financial plot
A federal judge in Indianapolis refused to throw out wiretap evidence in the $200 million fraud trial of former Indiana businessman Tim Durham as the government outlined a case largely based on those recordings.
Local attorney charged with defrauding clients of $2.5M
William F. Conour, 64, turned himself in to federal authorities Friday morning, accused of engaging in a scheme from December 2000 to March 2012 to defraud his clients, using money obtained from new settlement funds to pay for old settlements and debts.