The entire episode with the former debt relief guys from the Sanctuary Belize action by the FTC is coming to a conclusion. Andris Pukke, Peter Baker, Luke Chadwick, and John Usher have all been swatted back by the court. There are two favorite sections of the Opinion just released by the Court. “After nearly three … Read more
Andris Pukke, Peter Baker Ordered to Pay $120.2 Million A federal district court entered final orders against the three primary individual defendants—Andris Pukke, Peter Baker, and Luke Chadwick, and related corporations—in the Federal Trade Commission’s case involving the allegedly deceptive sale of real estate properties in Belize to U.S. consumers. The orders announced today finalize … Read more
It appears the trial involving the actions of Andris Pukke, Peter Baker, and Luke Chadwick with their Sanctuary Belize scheme has come to a predicted painful end. In a flurry of court documents, the Judge has trounced the participants in the foreign land sales scheme that has roots in the non-profit debt management group Ameridebt. … Read more
Just prior to trial, ten individual and corporate defendants agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they participated in, controlled, or illegally benefitted from the allegedly deceptive marketing of the “Sanctuary Belize” real estate development in remote southern Belize, including charges that they deceived U.S. consumers regarding the amenities that the development would have, … Read more
Question: Dear Steve, Thank you for your excellent reporting on Sanctuary Belize. A cousin of mine lost money in that deal, and I came across your website while googling the case. Two questions for you. First, this seems quite criminal in nature. Why haven’t the Feds come in and made arrests? In fact, another article … Read more
The Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Andrew Smith issued the following statement regarding the memorandum opinion issued late last week by U.S. District Court Judge Peter J. Messitte for the District of Maryland, in the matter of In re Sanctuary Belize litigation. “With this $120 million judgment, the Federal Trade Commission has … Read more
Consumers and lot owners who are disgusted by the Federal Trade Commission taking over the development only need to spend some time reading the latest FTC document to understand how all the issues extend back to 1994 and start and end with these two words – Andris Pukke. In a recent court filing, the Federal … Read more
The case involving Andris Pukke and Peter Baker that started with Ameridebt is still grinding on regarding Sanctuary Belize. The FTC summary of the case reads like a movie script. It involves international intrigue, deception, Orange County companies, prison jumpsuits, and back-stabery. Buckle up. This is going to be a long wild ride. FTC Update … Read more
I didn’t think I would see this happen but apparently the issues surrounding the former debt relief executive, Andris Pukke of Ameridebt fame, and his development that is known as Sanctuary Belize, have brought down an international bank. The Federal Trade Commission has just announced Atlantic International Bank Limited is paying up and closing down. … Read more
Question: Dear Steve, I am an owner of some plots at Sanctuary Belize Am I likely to be allowed to keep the plots that I have paid for or was the whole thing a scam? Answer: It is amazing how a question so simple can be so complicated to answer. For those unaware, here are … Read more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has just filed a motion to hold Andris Pukke, Peter Baker, and John Usher in contempt in the case involving Sanctuary Belize. The court document submitted seems like it could have been shortened down to one sentence, “The named dudes can’t be trusted, lie, and defraud people.” The response would … Read more
I still can’t believe the credit counseling failure known as AmeriDebt is still an issue we have to deal with all these many years later. In 2003 the Federal Trade Commission went after AmeriDebt for what was labeled as a fraud within the nonprofit credit counseling industry. The FTC is still chasing the company to … Read more
In the ongoing saga of the Sanctuary Belize development that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) went after that involved former debt relief bad boy Andris Pukke, it appears a participating bank is now teetering on the edge of closure. Atlantic International Bank (AIB) in Belize was a named defendant in the suit filed by the … Read more
Yesterday I reported on Receiver Report On Sanctuary Belize And Andris Pukke Should Make You Want To Puke. The Receiver submitted his report on the development Sanctuary Belize, and other parties, that the FTC had sued. Pukke objected to a number of items in the Receiver’s report. My initial personal impression was he was objecting … Read more
For anyone interested in the action the FTC has taken against the Sanctuary Belize development and people involved in it, here is a quick update. Court documents state that Andris Pukke is asking to get count frozen funds, thawed, so he can get “$8,000 per month for unspecified living expenses and $500,000 for attorneys’ fees … Read more