A 55-year-old unlicensed broker confessed to his crimes on April 11 and was promptly sentenced to four years in prison for embezzling approximately $800,000 from multiple clients in Orange County between 2016 and 2019.
Kelly Curtis faced ten charges of grand theft and ten charges of money laundering, all of which were classified as felonies. Additionally, he was given sentencing enhancements for committing aggravated white-collar crime exceeding $500,000 and was credited with 592 days already served in custody.
The prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney George Smith, stated in court documents, “The defendant misled investors into believing he was a licensed broker, and swindled money from at least four individuals who thought Curtis was investing their funds through his firm, K Curtis Financial Group. However, Curtis was not licensed as a broker at that time.”
Curtis was accused of diverting funds from investors and depositing them into his and his wife’s personal bank accounts, according to Smith.
“He used the investment capital he received from victims for personal expenditures such as mortgage payments, airfare, hotel accommodations, concert tickets, and payments for a Mercedes-Benz,” Smith added.
