Legal Question in Business Law in California

Dear Sophia,

I am sorry to hear about this fraud. You may want to contact your local District Attorney's office to file a complaint against him, and to see if they will investigate it. You may also want to consider filing a lawsuit against him to recover the stolen funds. I would be pleased to assist you on both counts.

Seth

Dear Sophia,

I am sorry to hear how you have been victimized. Let me address the criminal and civil aspects of your situation.

A criminal prosecution will require that the UK extradite the defendant back to the US for prosecution. I can offer no opinion on the government's willingness to make an extradition request in this case. It may well depend on how much money was taken, from how many people, and over how long a period of time. It may also depend on how persistent you are in pursuing this matter. Still, it does not hurt to ask and investigate.

The defendant can indeed be sued in a civil lawsuit in the United States. If his bad acts occurred in California, then the California courts would have jurisdiction over him and you could sue him here. You would not need an extradition order to proceed. The question, however, is the balance between costs and benefits: will you be able to get money out of the defendant to pay a judgment or settlement? If he has no assets in the US, then any victory may be Pyrrhic.

I would be happy to discuss this matter with you and to help you develop and execute a strategy that would meet your goals. If there are multiple potential plaintiffs, it may make sense for you to work together to pursue your claims. This may ease the cost burden a bit.

Please let me know how I can be of assistance.

Charles R. Perry

Law Offices of Charles R. Perry

I agree with Mr. Perry.