$900,000 Real Estate Investment Scam Conviction

After 20 years on the run, a real estate investment scammer is finally brought to justice.

Scott Walos, a man who was caught in Boston, was charged with fraud and grand larceny in New York back in 1996, and then went on to live under a different name for over 20 years will return $900,000 to his victims after being convicted of fraud charges.

The charges were related to a scam company he ran under the name of Eugene Grathwohl, prosecutors said. He had been living in the Boston suburb of Quincy and it is estimated that the scam cost investors nearly $2 million. The scheme involved convincing investors to pour money into a fraudulent real estate project that promised high returns but ultimately delivered nothing. Prosecutors revealed that Scott Wolas used deceptive practices and fake documentation to perpetrate what they described as a classic case of wire fraud in real estate. Authorities are continuing to investigate whether additional victims were affected by the elaborate scam.

Walos received a sentence of nearly seven years and was ordered to pay over $1.9 million in restitution to his victims, more than $300,000 to the IRS, and $70,000 to SSA/Medicare

Using the alias, Adam Leavitt, Walos collected money from possibly more than 24 people and apparently may have used the funds for a beachfront redevelopment venture in Quincy. Unfortunately, he used most of the funds on personal expenses and found himself accused of fraud.

Much of the restitution money came from Wolas’ retirement account at the law firm he worked for before his conviction in New York. As a failsafe, Walos tried to transfer the funds to his ex-wife with whom he had not entirely cut ties.

In 2018, Walos’ ex-wife was put on probation for one year after pleading guilty to lying to authorities for saying she had not had contact with him since the 1990s.

Quoting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Rachael Rollins, “My office will diligently pursue financial recovery for our crime victims — even years after someone has been convicted and sentenced, we will continue our pursuit. These ill-gotten gains have finally been recovered and our efforts send an important message that crime does not pay.”