NEW HAVEN — A former Hartford attorney plead guilty to money laundering charges in connection with a securities fraud scheme.
Corey Brinson, 36, of Hartford, plead guilty Friday in New Haven to one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from specified unlawful activity, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.
Prosecutors said that between approximately October 2010 and July 2016, Brinson, a licensed attorney, served as a “securities counsel” for several companies whose securities were marketed and sold to the public by Christian Meissenn and Meissenn’s business associates in a stock “pump and dump” scheme. “Meissenn and his associates induced investors to purchase securities by making false and misleading representations about the securities and the issuing companies, thereby causing the price of those securities to become falsely inflated. After selling their own shares at a profit, the scheme’s participants allowed the price of the securities to fall, leaving investors with worthless and unsalable stock. As a result, victim investors lost millions of dollars,” said prosecutors.
Authorities said Brinson did not have experience with securities, yet he mislead investors with false certifications and letters. Brinson received deposits of millions of dollars in proceeds of securities transactions into his Interest on Lawyer Trust Account (“IOLTA”). The money was then distributed to relatives, associates and shell companies associated with Meissenn and his associates, rather than use the proceeds to purchase securities and fund operations at the companies.
Brinson, prosecutors said, knew that approximately $3 million that passed through his IOLTA were the proceeds of this illegal securities scheme. They said Brinson received approximately five percent of the proceeds that passed through his IOLTA in exchange for providing his services. He also received payment for preparing the false opinion letters. In all, he made approximately $200,000.
Brinson pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in a monetary transaction in property derived from specified unlawful activity, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. He will be sentenced April 14.
Brinson surrendered his law license in November 2016. Brinson represented Emilio Diaz who was one of two men were arrested in an incident that led to a an excessive force investigation after a police chase in Hartford. Retired Hartford Police Sgt. Sean Spell, 46, is charged with assault in the third degree and breach of peace for allegedly kicking Diaz in the head after Diaz had been arrested.
On November 8, 2016, Meissenn pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and one count of tax evasion. He awaits sentencing.
