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Investor is on a mission for justice
By Ed Runyan
CLEVELAND
More than a year before the public had heard of Kevin L. Harris of Warren, an electrician turned phony-investment guru, one of the victims of his investment scheme made it his mission to get justice.
Dominic Ventura of Toronto was among 213 investors in Harris’ Warren-based company, Complete Developments, who sued Harris, his brother, Keelan, and Toronto woman Karen Starr in Youngstown federal court in June 2009. The suit accused them of operating a $20 million Ponzi scheme that bilked them out of their savings.
In January 2010, Magistrate Judge George J. Limbert dismissed the lawsuit, saying it was not specific enough in describing “the circumstances surrounding the alleged fraud.”
The investors didn’t give up, however, sharing their knowledge of the enterprise with federal investigators, hoping criminal charges would result.
While they waited, Ventura contacted The Vindicator through a series of emails, repeatedly asking for Harris and his cohorts to be exposed, saying readers should be made aware of the fraud carried out by Kevin Harris, his attorneys and his workers.
Ventura was frustrated that neither the courts nor the U.S. government was doing anything even though it seemed obvious that a fraud had been committed.
Complete Developments had promised that, at a minimum, 80 percent of their investment would be returned to them, but most investors had lost much more than that, Ventura said.
The Vindicator reported on the enterprise in July 2010.
Kevin Harris was indicted by the federal government in October 2010, and he began serving a seven-year, three-month prison term March 1 after pleading guilty to wire fraud and money laundering.
All told, the enterprise resulted in the loss of $15.7 million from 408 investors, most of them from the Toronto area. Some investors also were from the U.S.
Ventura says one of the reasons Harris and his associates were able to perpetrate their fraud was because of their ability to keep their deeds and history hidden from view, so Ventura decided to publicize their deeds using his interest in music.
“I try to put their names out there as much as I can,” Ventura said at the March 1 sentencing. “I know they don’t want to be seen.”
Several weeks ago, Ventura released several YouTube videos showing pictures of Harris and Starr. Ventura wrote lyrics and music for the videos, which express his feelings about the pair and his hopes that Starr also will face punishment for her role in the scheme.
Prosecutors say they expect additional charges to be filed in the future.
One of the videos says “Ponzi Starr” Karen Starr is living in Ras al-Khaimah, one of the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East, near Dubai.
Another says “Look out good men of Ohio. Your laws are tools for the crooked, the Con & his Lawyer.”
Despite the cynicism expressed in the videos, Ventura says he’s not critical of the United States.
“Canadians and Americans, to me, are very similar,” Ventura said. “This [scheme] could happen in Toronto, In fact, Karen Starr is from Toronto. This could happen anywhere.”
Ventura also took steps to make sure Harris gave up any assets that could be applied to the $15.7 million he owes investors.
Harris told Judge Lesley Wells in Cleveland federal court a year ago that he had no assets, but Ventura wasn’t buying that story.
Ventura and others conducted their own investigation, researching the Warren-area properties Harris had once owned. The investors had secured Harris’ emails that indicated that Harris had once owned several homes in Warren but took steps to have ownership transferred to others in 2008 and 2009.
In court March 1, Harris agreed to turn over ownership of properties on Buena Vista Avenue, Penn Avenue, Coit Street and Garden Street to the court so the funds could be used to pay restitution. Prosecutors estimate they are worth less than $100,000.
To view the video, go to http://www.youtube.com/user/DavidsBoxes2?feature=watch#p/a/u/0/vmOFWI21l2s.