BNZ One Capital, LLC , Brett Reed Barber and Louis Alfonso Zimmerle Charged with Operating a $13.5 Million Ponzi-Like Scheme

According to a complaint filed on October 28, 2021 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Newport Beach based BNZ ONE CAPITAL, LLC through it’s members, BRETT REED BARBER; and LOUIS ALFONSO ZIMMERLE fraudulently raised $13.5 million from more than 100 retail investors.

According to the SEC's complaint, BNZ, Barber, and Zimmerle since June of 2019 raised $13.5 million from retail investors by telling them that BNZ was in the business of making investments in real estate and alternative investments and promising to pay investors significant returns, generally 10% per year. The complaint alleges that defendants used only $6.4 million of the $13.5 million raised from investors to invest in real estate and alternative investments, and those investments generated just $300,000 in profits. Despite generating minimal profits, the Complaint alleges that defendants paid investors returns using funds raised from other investors in Ponzi-like fashion. SEC Complaint

Separately, Messrs. Barber and Zimmerle were each charged criminally for their actions by the U.S. Attorneys’ Office for the Central District of California. See, U.S. Attorneys' Office Central Dist. of Cal. Press Release dtd 10/29/2021