Bloomington man gets 5 years for fraud scheme

Posted on August 25, 2017

Derek Gordon pleaded guilty in June to theft by deception, fraud and money laundering. (Photo courtesy McLean County Jail)

By Eric Stock

BLOOMINGTON – A Bloomington financial planner who stole from two investors is headed to prison.

McLean County Judge Casey Costigan on Thursday sentenced Derek Gordon, 44, to five years in prison.

Derek Gordon pleaded guilty in June to theft by deception, money laundering, forgery and wire fraud, just as his McLean County trial was scheduled to start.

Gordon was to invest in a hedge fund for two of his clients. He shifted money from their accounts and gave them false statements about how much money those accounts had.

Gordon had agreed to repay more than $600,000 to the investors he defrauded.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…