10 White Collar Fugitives Wanted by the FBI

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s “10 Most Wanted List”has included some of the world’s most notorious criminals, including Osama bin Laden, Ted Bundy and Warren Jeffs — totaling 497 since its creation in 1950. Of these, 466 have been apprehended or located, according to the FBI. And of these, 154 arrests have been assisted by the public through methods such as information posted on the website and in post offices.

With the success of the “Most Wanted” list, the bureau began putting photos and information about wanted criminals on its website in 1996. Since then, more than 60 fugitives have been arrested as a result of their information appearing on the site.

Along with the “Most Wanted,” other fugitives are being sought by the FBI in a variety of categories — from violent crimes and cybercrimes to domestic terrorism and crimes against children. The FBI says it believes its efforts would be assisted by increased public awareness. One of the “Wanted by the FBI” categories, “white collar crime,” highlights business or government professionals who are alleged to have defrauded institutions, organizations or individual investors out of large sums of money.

With the help of the FBI, we’ve highlighted some of these fugitives.Some even carry rewards of up to $100,000 for information leading to their arrest, so it could pay to be on the lookout. If you have any information on these criminals, the FBI encourages you to contact the agencythrough various methods listed on its website.

Who are some of these white collar fugitives and what did they do to attract the FBI’s attention? Click ahead for 10 people wanted by the FBI.

By Paul Toscano
Posted 31 July 2012

Charges: Wire fraud
Reward: Up to $20,000

Aubrey Lee Price is wanted by the FBI for his alleged connection to a multimillion dollar investment scheme. According to the FBI, while a director of a Georgia bank, Price funneled about $21 million from a bank subsidiary into other accounts between January 2011 and June 2012 in order to conceal trading losses and personal theft of bank funds.

A warrant alleging wire fraud was issued on June 28, but Price had already gone on the run after telling acquaintances that he had incurred substantial trading losses and planned to kill himself, the FBI said. Price was last seen boarding a ferry boat in Key West, Fla., on June 16 and is believed to have traveled to Guatemala or Venezuela, according to the agency. He has been known to fund, finance and build churches as well as do mission work in South America, according to the FBI’s wanted file.

See Price’s FBI “Wanted” Poster

Charges: Bank fraud

A convicted felon, Donald Lee Phelps is wanted for his alleged involvement in a scheme to defraud financial institutions. From 2005 through 2006, Phelps allegedly assumed the identity of his girlfriend's estranged husband while he was deployed with the U.S. military in Iraq.

Using an altered Texas driving license, Phelps obtained a Florida ID using the assumed name, the FBI said. Under this identity, Phelps is alleged to have established accounts at a credit union, gained employment at a computer learning center and received a regular salary. According to the FBI, Phelps also wrote personal checks for all of his expenses, obtained loans, credit cards, and sought medical care.

On Oct. 16, 2007, a federal warrant was issued for Phelps' arrest, charging him with bank fraud. According to the FBI, Phelps has a tattoo on his upper left arm, is an avid softball player, suffered a separated shoulder that required orthopedic surgery and is regularly involved in sports gambling.  The agency said he is also wanted on unrelated charges in Pennsylvania, Arizona and Texas, and he also has ties to Germany.

See Phelps’ FBI “Wanted” Poster

Charges: Failure to appear

Xuyen Thi-Kim Nguyen, along with six other people, was indicted in 2005 on charges alleging involvement in a scheme to defraud a mortgage company of more than $5 million. Nguyen was convicted of one count of conspiracy, two counts of mail fraud and seven counts of wire fraud. After her conviction, Nguyen was placed on home monitoring to await sentencing, but she fled from her home in Plano, Texas in November 2005, the FBI said. An arrest warrant was issued for her in February 2006,but she hasn't been located, the agency said.

A naturalized citizen of Vietnamese descent, Nguyen, 70, has lived in the Seattle and Dallas areas, according to the FBI. It said she has also used the aliases Thi Kim Nguyen, Kim Nguyen and Xuyen Nguyen.

See Nguyen’s FBI “Wanted” Poster

Charges: Mail fraud, money laundering

Peter Medel Aro owned and operated two telemarketing companies that obtained several million dollars from investors across the U.S., many of whom were elderly, the FBI said. The telemarketing companies, Coastal Gaming and WRI Holdings, operated out of Los Angeles and solicited investment in fabricated operations, the agency said. According to the FBI, investors in Coastal Gaming were led to believe that they were investing in a river boat casino, while WRI holdings sold a fraudulent investment in the music industry. Coastal Gaming is believed to have drawn $5 million in investment, while WRI drew $1 million, investigators said.

Aro was accused of mail fraud and money laundering related to the telemarketing companies in separate indictments in California in November 1998 and February 1999. According to the FBI, Aro is believed to have left Los Angeles in 1998 for Miami, but his whereabouts are unknown.

See Aro’s FBI “Wanted” Poster

Charges: Health care fraud

David Song Sen Cui operated the Atlanta Hope Medical Group from about November 2008 through August 2011 and is wanted for his involvement in using the company to defraud Medicare, the FBI said. In the alleged scheme, the company ran a clinic in Doraville, Ga., that supposedly provided physical therapy for elderly patients but administered massages administered by unlicensed therapists. The FBI said Cui billed the massages to Medicare, fraudulently using a doctor’s name who wasn’t present at the clinic. According to the FBI, during the operation of the clinic, Cui billed over $5.5 million in false claims.

Cui also goes by the names David Cui or Song Sen Cui. The FBI said he may have fled to his native China.

See Cui’s FBI “Wanted” Poster

Charges: Failure to appear to face charges of health care fraud

Daniel Guzman, 53, is wanted by the FBI for his alleged involvement in a scheme that defrauded Medicaid out of millions. The agency said while working at a New York pharmacy,  Guzman conspired with others to fraudulently obtain reimbursements from Medicaid for prescription drugs that were never dispensed. In 2008, Guzman was arrested on a federal warrant and released on bond. He failed to appear for a court date, and another federal arrest warrant was issued, the FBI said.

See Guzman’s FBI “Wanted” Poster

Charges: Wire fraud 

As a catering manager at an Illinois hotel, Frank Bush Amir orchestrated a scheme that embezzled $500,000, the FBI said. Federal agents said that between January 2000 and October 2003, Amir deposited hotel funds into a personal account, using various fraudulent means to cover up his actions.

Amir was arrested in July 2007 and released on bond five months later. After failing to appear as required by his bond release, a bench warrant was issued but Amir has not been found, the FBI said. According to the FBI, Amir is known to portray himself as wealthy and may have traveled to his native Iran. He goes by several aliases, including Amir M. Hassani, Aliakbar Hassani, Frank Hassani and Frank B. Amir.

See Amir’s FBI “Wanted” Poster

Charges: Conspiracy to commit mail, wire fraud and money laundering
Reward: The FBI is offering an unspecified reward for information leading to Porcaro’s arrest.

John Anthony Porcaro is wanted for his involvement in a fraudulent telemarketing scheme that is thought to have defrauded more than 400 individuals of more than $5 million, the FBI said. In 1998, two companies he managed obtained money for investments in foreign currency options, promising as much as 700 percent returns on fluctuations in the FOREX markets, the FBI said. However, according to the FBI, investors rarely received returns on their investments, and the firms' principal employees pocketed the the money they raised. A substantial portion of the funds was transferred to offshore bank accounts in the Cayman Islands, the FBI said.

According to the FBI, Porcaro has an artificial right eye and a scar above his left eye. It said he is believed to be an associate of the Gambino crime family in New York.

See Porcaro’s FBI “Wanted” Poster

Charges: conspiracy, securities fraud, sale of unregistered securities, wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, attempted income tax evasion

Eric Bartoli is being sought for his involvement in a Ponzi scheme that defrauded over 800 investors in the U.S. and Latin America, the FBI said. Between 1995 and 1999, Bartoli operated Cyprus Funds Inc., which was based in Ohio and incorporated in Central America, investigators said. Along with co-conspirators, Bartoli sold certificates of deposit and unregistered mutual funds through Cyprus, raising an estimated $65 million, according to the FBI. Bartoli used most of the proceeds for his own personal gain, the FBI said.

A federal arrest warrant was issued in 2003, but he has evaded law enforcement and is believed to be in Peru, the FBI said. One of Bartoli’s partners in the scheme has died and others have served prison sentences related to Cyprus, the FBI said. Bartoli also goes by the aliases Enrico Orlandini, Enrico Adams and Steve Betts, according to the FBI.

See Bartoli’s FBI “Wanted” Poster

Charges: fraud 
Reward: Up to $50,000

The events placing John Donald Cody in the crosshairs of the FBI date to 1984, when he allegedly conducted fraudulent activities involving the misuse of funds. Between May and August 1984, Cody stole funds from the accounts of probate estates, purchasing nearly $100,000 in travelers checks that he transported across the country, the FBI said. He also falsified forms to an investment brokerage firm, made false statements to a bank in order to obtain a loan and illegally attempted to obtain bank loans under alias identities, investigators said. In 1987, a federal warrant was issued, based on charges from the IRS, and has been outstanding ever since.

According to the FBI, Cody does not have tear glands and uses eye drops constantly. He is also known to wear a pompadour style toupee and has an orange hue to his skin. Cody attended the University of Virginia, Harvard Law School and served as a captain in the Army in intelligence. He speaks Italian and Tagalog, a language in the Philippines, where he spent some time, the FBI said.

See Cody’s FBI “Wanted” Poster

CNBC follows the money trail in search of the most wanted white-collar fugitives.

Visit the show page.

“American Greed: The Fugitives” premieres Wednesday, August 1 at 8 p.m. ET, with re-airs at 9 p.m. and 12 a.m. ET