Las Vegas lawyer indicted in $460M ‘slip-and-fall’ scheme

By RIO YAMAT
Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A personal injury lawyer in Las Vegas was indicted Wednesday on federal charges that he orchestrated a $460 million Ponzi scheme in Nevada, Utah and California. The indictment accuses Matthew Wade Beasley of wire fraud and money laundering. His attorney on Thursday didn’t return a request seeking comment. The indictment comes a year after the attorney was shot and wounded when FBI agents arrived at his $1.1 million home in Las Vegas to question him about the scam. The indictment accuses Beasley of persuading people to invest money for short-term loans to people awaiting payment after settling their personal injury cases. Authorities say the investors were promised a return of up to 13% within 90 days. The indictment says hundreds of people invested in the scheme.