A chiropractor from Middlebury, Connecticut accused of bilking investors out of nearly $28 million meant for a film project was arraigned in Vermont and pleaded not guilty.
According to court filings, Louis James Soteriou, 54, of Middlebury, Conn., and Malcolm “Mac” Parker, 54, of Addison, Vermont, applied a small fraction of the money raised to production of the “Birth of Innocence” and spent the rest on a spiritual journey for Soteriou and to repay earlier investors.
According to the charging documents, Soteriou proposed the movie project to Parker in or around 1999. Parker was tasked with raising money for the project while Soteriou would be the “conscience” behind the film and have creative control over it, according to the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont.
Both Soteriou and Parker believed that Soteriou would have to achieve a level of spiritual consciousness that would allow him to escape his own body and have access to large amounts of money for the film to be successful and Soteriou directed Parker not to disclose Soteriou’s role in the movie to potential investors, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Parker is accused of telling potential investors that their money was being used to produce a film, but the majority of the money raised was being used to pay back earlier investors and to fund Soteriou’s spiritual journey, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Between 2000 and 2009, the men raised more than $28 million, but only $700,000 of the money actually went toward the production-related expenses, according to the indictment.
Officials said Soteriou received about $3.8 million and the majority of the money raised went to pay back earlier investors in the project.
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A federal grand jury returned an 18-count indictment charging Soteriou with wire fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy and money laundering. He was arrested in Connecticut on March 15.
Soteriou pleaded not guilty Tuesday in federal court in Vermont to wire and mail fraud, money laundering and conspiracy.
Soteriou was allowed to use a federal public defender after telling the judge he has no money.
The United States attorney filed a plea agreement in which Parker agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and a tax crime in connection with this same movie project. Under that agreement, Parker agreed to cooperate with the United States in its prosecution of Soteriou.
Anyone who believes he or she might be a victim of this scheme and who wishes to be kept informed of case developments in these matters should contact the United States Attorney’s Office Victim-Witness coordinator, Aimee Stearns, at Aimee.Stearns@usdoj.gov.
