Brandon Scott Menaged, a 22-year-old resident of Scottsdale, Arizona, was sentenced to 33 months in prison on July 9 by Senior United States District Judge David G. Campbell. He was also ordered to pay $751,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to wire fraud.
Between January 2023 and December 2024, Menaged deceived multiple victims by soliciting funds for non-existent investments. He misled investors about the nature of these investments and used fake investor references to gain their trust. Instead of investing the money as promised, Menaged spent it on personal expenses including gambling at casinos, international travel, and purchasing luxury items such as vehicles, firearms, and Rolex watches.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Phoenix Division led the investigation into this case. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin M. Rapp from the District of Arizona.
