A former MetLife stockbroker was charged with defrauding a woman widowed by the September 11 attacks of $250,000 of her settlement money. Prosecutors say that Jaime Amoroso had trusted her friend Kevin Dunn, who had convinced her to invest the $2 million, but he ended up siphoning the quarter million into his own account.
Amorose, whose husband was a police officer, had known Dunn since 1994. Dunn apparently advised her to invest $1.25 million into a brokerage account and the rest into a retirement account, which she did. Dunn took money in a variety of ways (the Times has the most detailed explanation), both claiming that there were problems with her account, asking her to write him checks that he'd re-invest and opening an account in both their names (forging her signature).
The scheme was discovered by MetLife, who told the government and fired Dunn. The Daily News points out that MetLife "wouldn't explain why Dunn's cousin, who was the manager of the branch office in Brooklyn where Dunn worked, did not notify Jamie Amoroso as soon as he was terminated." Huh, that is a good question. The News also says that the money Dunn took allegedly went to home renovations.
Dunn pleaded not guilty - his lawyer said, "I think theres a lot more ot the case" - and had his "weeping" grandmother help post his $300,000 bond, which earned him a "stern glare" from Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom, according to the NY Post. The victim's father-in-law Charles Amoroso said, "I hope the federal prosecutor goes for the jugular so he [Dunn] gets the max.
