Court gavel. MWC file photo.
MADISON, WI (WSAU) — A Wausau man has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for stealing nearly $2 million from clients as part of a Ponzi scheme.
Anthony B. Liddle, the former owner of Prosper Wealth Management in Wausau, appeared in US District Court in Maidson this week where Judge James Peterson handed him the sentence for counts of wire fraud and money laundering. Investigators found that the 41-year-old had taken $1.94 million from clients and spent it on business and personal expenses including travel.
Those clients were under the impression that Liddle would be growing their money through low-risk investments. Peterson noted that in many cases Liddle had manipulated those clients by presenting himself as a family man who cared about helping others.
Liddel tried to cover the crime by saying the money was a personal loan and not an investment, even producing false loan documents to try to cover his tracks. During sentencing, Peterson called the crimes “monsterous” because the situation amounted to Liddle stealing from people he knew well.
The thefts occurred between June 2019 and August 2022. Charges were brought forward last winter, and Liddle pled guilty to the charges back in February. The FBI, IRS, and Securities and Exchange Commission were all involved in the investigation along with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions.
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