The press release from the Northern District of Georgia announcing the guilty plea by novelist Mitchell Gross to wire fraud and money laundering charges has a great line:
“Much like the novels this defendant wrote, the stories he told to his victims to entice them to entrust him with their money or their legal business were also fiction, but of a far more sinister nature. Setting up phony investment companies and fake lawsuits may have provided this defendant with a comfortable lifestyle for a while, but now the storyline has changed and he faces the stark reality of federal prison.”
Mitchell Gross is a defrocked lawyer, having been disbarred in 1991, according to the press release and this is not his first rodeo in the criminal arena as he convicted of arson and insurance fraud in 2000.
Apparently blessed with a vivid imagination, Gross has authored a number of books under pen names, including the aptly titled “Circle of Lies.”
Gross bilked two victims in separate schemes out of over $ 4 million dollars. Interestingly, the case has been investigated by IRS Agents. Sentencing is scheduled for May 14, which is going to be an unpleasant day for the good Mr. Gross.