Craig Jerabeck, one of the founders of the 5Linx, pleaded guilty Tuesday to the wire fraud conspiracy and also to the filing of a false tax return.
Jerabeck and two other of the company founders — Jason Guck and Jeb Tyler — were arrested early last year and accused of looting the company and its investors of millions through shell companies and unearned bonuses. The three were scheduled for trial in federal court in mid-September; that trial date is still set for Guck and Tyler.
On Tuesday, however, Jerabeck admitted to crimes different than those contained in the indictment against him last year. He pleaded guilty to the fraud conspiracy, maintaining that he, Guck, and Tyler — or companies they created — pocketed about $2.3 million from a Florida vendor selling 5Linx products, including identity theft protection.
“We understand that Mr. Jerabeck didn’t get all this money himself,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Resnick said in court. “It would be all three defendants.”
That money, transferred by “interstate wire transmission,” should have gone to 5Linx, its investors, and stockholders, Jerabeck admitted.
5Linx, a multi-level marketing company, was once one of Rochester’s fastest growing companies. In 2014, New York Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli reported that a state pension fund investment in the company
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5Linx Executives Declined An Offer By The USA Federal Government
by Ted Nuyten • • 0 Comments
The three men accused of stealing $4 million from the investors of a company they founded, walked out of federal court Monday saying they are ready to go to trial.
The three top executives of 5LINX – Craig Jerabeck, Jeb Tyler and Jason Guck – declined an offer by the federal government. The next step is for prosecutors to take this case to a grand jury to decide what, if any, criminal charges should be considered.
Defense attorney, Matt Parrinello said they have a strong case to prove.
“We think it is in our best interest to have the case go to grand jury and proceed forward ultimately with a trial,” Parrinello said. “Our clients are anxious to get this case moving and moving along – their reputations are at stake.”
Jerabeck, Tyler and Guck are all charged with wire fraud and conspiracy. The feds say the 5LINX executives stole $4 million from investors between 2009 and 2015.
A federal complaint claims the men set up fake shell companies, and added themselves as contractors to be paid directly.
However, defense attorneys paint a far different picture, saying the three executives did not commit fraud, but were rather the victims of greedy investors.
“This is a story about
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5Linx Partners Charged With Cheating Investors
by Ted Nuyten • • 0 Comments
The original partners of 5Linx, once one of Rochester’s fastest growing companies, cheated investors out of more than $4 million, federal authorities allege according to an article in the Democrat & Chronicle.
The illegally gained money could be as much as $11 million, court papers allege.
The three partners — Craig Jerabeck, Jason Guck and Jeb Tyler — were charged today in federal court with defrauding investors between 2009 and 2015. The three were released on bond of $100,000 a piece.
5Linx was once a highly successful network marketing company, with products ranging from nutritional supplements to wireless security systems. However, there have been clear strains in recent years between past and current 5Linx management.
The Democrat and Chronicle previously reported on allegations in a lawsuit against Jerabeck, who had left the company.
Jerabeck was accused of
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Lawsuit: Former 5Linx President Craig Jerabeck – Fraud Accusations
by Ted Nuyten • • 0 Comments
According to an article in the Democrat & Chronicle, an USA Today company, former 5Linx President Craig Jerabeck joined Paycation and offered Business Development Deals to 5Linx leaders and lying to creditors.
The Democrat & Chronicle:
“One of the Rochester-area’s fastest growing companies is embroiled in a legal imbroglio between current and former management, with allegations ranging from the cherry-picking of successful sales employees to lying to would-be creditors about company finances.
5Linx Enterprises, a highly successful network marketing company that sells everything from nutritional supplements to coffee to wireless security systems, last year sued former company President Craig Jerabeck, who left the company in September.
The lawsuit alleged that Jerabeck breached a contractual pact by enticing a number of 5Linx top employees to join him at a new venture. Jerabeck has responded that he did not solicit