LA Man Wanted In Ponzi Scheme Arrested In France

LOS ANGELES  (AP) — A Los Angeles financial adviser charged with defrauding investors in a $228 million Ponzi scheme has been arrested in France.

The FBI says 60-year-old Bruce Fred Friedman, who fled the country before he was charged last month with mail and wire fraud, promised to invest in rental properties but instead diverted the money to himself, family and friends to pay for a lavish lifestyle.

FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller says Friedman, who lives in suburban Sherman Oaks, was arrested on Sept. 13 utside his hotel in Cannes. She said Tuesday that extradition could take months.

The Los Angeles Times says the Securities and Exchange Commission shut down Friedman's Diversified Lending Group last year and filed civil charges accusing him of operating a massive Ponzi scheme since 2004.

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