Georgia Republican ‘wickedly exploited’ 300-plus victims in $76-million Ponzi scheme — then splurged on jewelry, a vacation home and more

“He wickedly exploited their faith to plunder their accounts and enrich himself,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said. “This was a stunning, sinful, and sacrilegious abuse of trust that wrecked hundreds of investors, including retirees and seniors who lost their life savings.”

Authorities say that Frost pocketed “at least $5 million of investor funds” to spend personally, on things like jewelry and watches, a Maine vacation rental, political contributions, payments to a rare coin dealer and “more than $2 million in credit card payments.”

Meanwhile, Frost’s victims opened up about the tens, or even hundreds, of thousands of dollars they lost — savings that some needed for retirement living costs, medical bills or, simply, to pass down to younger generations. The oldest victim, a 93-year-old man, lost $1.3 million.

And while Frost is facing prison time and was ordered to pay $76,454,374.39 in restitution to victims, it’s unclear how many will ever see their money again.

Do Ponzi scheme victims get their money back?

Frost, 69, reportedly pitched his services during conservative shows hosted by Charlie Kirk, Erick Erickson and Hugh Hewitt, according to ABC News, while his victims include notable fellow Republicans like David Shafer, former Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party.

Law enforcement said that Frost originally promised victims monthly returns of 8% to 18% via refinancing of “short‑term, high‑interest ‘bridge loans’ to small businesses” using investor cash.

As of 2021, though, defaulted loans and stopped payments depleted the company’s revenue. Frost, then, “began using new investor funds to pay interest owed to existing investors” and, in addition to the $5 million he spent himself, “funneled investor money to entities related to himself or First Liberty.”

At his sentencing hearing, Frost reportedly conceded that “I have messed up a lot of good people’s lives.”

The good news for 46 victims of the wider $140-million First Liberty scam is that Georgia’s Secretary of State announced $6.7 million in restitution in April. But it’s unclear whether Frost’s victims will recover all of their cash.

The Husch Blackwell law firm, which works with receivers attempting to get restitution for victims, claims that “a typical recovery in the Ponzi setting rarely exceeds 30%,” while the Commodity Futures Trading Commission previously warned that Ponzi investigations “may not always result in the recovery of lost money because the wrongdoers may not have sufficient funds or assets.”

The victims of Bernie Madoff, for example, eventually got $4.3 billion back — or a 94% of their total losses — due largely to civil and criminal forfeiture recovery efforts that recovered billions from Madoff investors and “co-conspirators.”

In a $1.3-billion New York Ponzi scheme case from 2020, authorities returned “100% of all approved investor claims” after clawing back $88 million in funds as well as taking a $14-million horse farm, $3.7-million antique teddy bear collection and a Long Island estate from the two defendants.

But a $194-million Minnesota fraud case only returned $11.7 million — or 8% — of the losses to victims, even after authorities seized “bank accounts, real estate, personal property, cash, coins, vehicles and other assets for the benefit of the victims.”

In Frost’s case, he already spent or donated and diverted more to First Liberty, so authorities may have to find ways to recoup that money through forfeiture or other means.

Nathan Kitchens, the First Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Georgia, told Moneywise that “The clerk’s office of the District Court will administer the restitution order,” but declined to comment on how much restitution victims should realistically expect.

How to avoid falling prey to Ponzi scammers

The best way to ensure that a Ponzi schemer, or any other fraudster, doesn’t nab your cash is to avoid handing it over to them in the first place.

Investor.gov recommends always researching any investment opportunity, as well as the person presenting it to you, to ensure they’re legitimate and haven’t had issues with regulators in the past. They also say to be aware of unsolicited or “too good to be true” offers, as well as those that “guarantee” returns.

The SEC also advises avoiding companies that use pressure tactics to get you to invest, and opportunities with terms not laid out in writing.