Six victims of two separate securities fraud schemes recently received restitution by way of the Secretary of State’s office.
The $62,500 in compensation was paid from the Secretary of State’s Securities Restitution Fund. Secretary of State Connie Lawson says four of the individuals were victims of Gary Atkinson and Donna Harris of Porter County. They were convicted of securities fraud in September and ordered to pay $2,183,831 in restitution.
The four victims received restitution fund awards totaling $32,500. Court documents indicate Atkinson and Harris offered investment opportunities under the name Dunes Country Mortgage Parters or NovaStar Securities in a purported real estate development along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
The other two restitution fund award recipients were scammed by Mark Bunker of Sarasota, Fla. He was sentenced in Marion County in August for securities fraud. Both of his victims received maximum $15,000 awards.
Bunker offered investments opportunities in a company he claimed he was creating called Advanced Commission Money, Inc. Bunker earned the trust of his victims by provided financial planning for life insurance and annuities. Bunker was ordered to pay $287,995.63 in restitution.
Under the Indiana Securities Restitution Fund, victims of securities violations can receive up to 25 percent of their net losses, up to a max of $15,000. Since the Securities Restitution Fund was established in 2010, it has helped victims recover nearly $500,000 in restitution payments.
