Charles Mark Maxey possibly on the lam in Baja

http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=71740

High-Rolling Entrepreneur Makes Millions, Lives High Life

Charles Mark Maxey is believed to be the figurehead of the now-defunct internet-based ponzi scheme called EZBucks.

For a brief time, cops say Charles Mark Maxey lived the American dream. He reveled in the excesses of capitalism, driving exotic cars and making absurd amounts of money faster than he could spend it.

But according to the FBI, he was one of the most prolific fraudsters of the early millennium's infamous dot-com boom. Authorities allege that in a rather small time frame, Maxey swindled millions of dollars from thousands of people throughout the world.

It all started in 2002, when Maxey devised EZBucks, which the FBI has deemed to be a net-based ponzi scheme.

From his home in San Diego, Maxey registered the EZBucks domain in the U.K. and offered investors the opportunity to receive substantial returns on their investments.

But according to the site's Frequently Asked Questions section, "EZBucks is a private program and to protect our competitive advantage in the industry, we cannot offer the source of our investments to the public."

And for the longest time, no one questioned EZBucks' investment methodology -- that is, until the losses started piling up. Eventually, the victims of EZBucks' scam wised up, and many contacted the feds.

Authorities allege Maxey used his newfound funds to buy a late-model Jaguar sports car, retailing for more than $93,000.

Feds Get Wise To Online Investment Scam

Maxey is accused of bilking thousands of people out of nearly $5 million while EZBucks was "in business."

The FBI got involved in the EZBucks saga when allegations came forth that some investors -- both domestic and international -- were receiving nothing in return from EZBucks. As a matter of fact, quite a few investors lost nearly every dollar they'd spent with them. In some cases, hundreds of thousands of dollars disappeared in the click of a mouse button.

The FBI says the scheme worked like this: Investors would buy, for example, $200 worth of gold from a legitimate West Indies-based corporation called E-Gold. Then, they'd deposit their E-Gold credits into a different E-Gold account, operated by EZBucks.

Within 30 days, EZBucks' Terms of Service stated that the investors would receive varying rates of return on their deposits: 1) a 2 percent return, every day for 365 consecutive days, with a minimum deposit of $1; 2) a 200 percent return on deposits after 30 days, with a minimum deposit of $25; and 3) a 300 percent return on deposits of $5,000 after 30 days.

As promised, within a month, the investors' EZBucks account would indeed show that their account balance had grown significantly -- only EZBucks wouldn't allow some investors to access their funds, keeping any and all returns to itself.

Though some folks did get to cash out their earnings, many did not.

In February 2003, about eight months after EZBucks went into “business”, the FBI tried to access the EZBucks website. When an error message appeared on their browsers stating, "This site has been temporarily suspended. Please contact technical support," the Bureau knew something was awry.

By the time the FBI would uncover the lengths EZBucks went to in order to stay ahead of law enforcement, it was too late. The company was defunct.

According to the FBI, EZBucks' figurehead, Charles Mark Maxey, hit the road with a ton of cash lining his wallets. Some estimates put his take at more than $4 million dollars.

Now authorities need your help to bring this alleged fraudster down.

FBI Hope To Detain Alleged Fraudster With Public's Help

The FBI alleges that Mark Maxey lives a life of luxury, while those who invested in EZBucks must regain their trust in humanity.

With Maxey's “earnings” from the EZBucks scam, the FBI tells AMW that he purchased a 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee in November 2002.

But that was just the beginning of his spending spree.

Less than six weeks later, a stretched limo pulled into a San Diego Jaguar dealer's sales lot. Inside the luxury car, Maxey and a female acquaintance were seen downing expensive champagne, toasting one another like they owned the world.

That afternoon, authorities allege Maxey used his newfound funds to buy a late-model Jaguar sports car, retailing for almost $100,000.

Though the Jeep and the Jaguar have since been repossessed by the feds, they say Maxey still has plenty of cash at his disposal.

He has connections throughout the southwest, including San Diego and Houston -- though authorities believe he may be hiding out in Tijuana.

Wherever he is, Maxey may be using a number of aliases, including Allan Bennett or Danny Jacobs. Maxey is an only child, and authorities tell us he's paranoid about law enforcement. His alleged paranoia stems from the belief that the FBI is not a real entity and that a shadowy government agency is trying to track him down.

For instance, when an FBI agent in Southern California tried contacting Maxey by phone, authorities say Maxey would not cooperate because he felt something was not right.

Then, to quell his fears, that same FBI agent told Maxey to meet him in person at the FBI building in San Diego -- but again, Maxey was skeptical and never showed.

A short time later, it's believed Maxey high-tailed it to Mexico, leaving his Jeep at the border -- with his dog still inside it. He then called a friend and told them to pick the vehicle up. Maxey hasn't been seen since.

Spiritual Scammer On The Lam

Charles Mark Maxey is an extremely spiritual individual, and is affiliated with the "Order of Thelema" and "Mission Vi."

Maxey is known to seek the guidance of spiritual advisers -- and with the hefty funds the FBI claims is at his disposal, he is able to afford the best ones money can buy.

As a matter of fact, Maxey is so devoted to his spirituality, authorities allege that he gave the Jaguar to the Order of Thelema as a gift. Unfortunately, the FBI seized it from them, as it was one of the largest assets Maxey was known to have purchased with his EZBucks funds.

Though life as he knew it came to an abrupt end in the months following his March 2004 indictment, Maxey has managed to remain on the lam for more than five years. He probably has the funds to stay free for even longer, but the FBI wants to make sure that doesn't happen.

If you know where Charles Mark Maxey is hiding out, you've got to call our Hotline right away at 1-800-CRIME-TV.

Well on the positive side, maybe he'll spend some of that hot cash in Baja before he is caught ....