NEW YORK--A Washington state entrepreneur and a former Jefferies portfolio manager were criminally charged on Thursday over a Ponzi scheme and related fraud involving water vending machines that totaled as much as $275 million, with military veterans among the victims, U.S. authorities said.
Ryan Wear, the former owner of Water Station Management, was charged in Manhattan with securities and wire fraud. Jordan Chirico, who worked at Jefferies’ Leucadia Asset Management unit, was charged with securities and investment adviser fraud.
