The SEC alleges that Stephen B. Blankenship lured about a dozen customers – including some retirees and others he met at church – into his scheme by assuring them they could obtain a greater rate of return on their money by transferring it to his firm, Deer Hill Financial Group. Blankenship claimed he was investing their money in established securities such as publicly-traded mutual funds. But in reality he made no investments and merely transferred customer money to his own bank account, and he misused it to pay his mortgage, travel, and grocery bills among other personal expenses. Blankenship also paid some business expenses and made Ponzi-like payments to other customers who requested a return of all or part of their investment.
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