America’s wanted Sri Lankan Rienzie Edwards, alleged ringleader, swindler and money launderer is a close friend of both speaker Karu Jayasuriya and his son in law Minister of Plantation Industries Navin Dissanayake Colombo Telegraph can reveal today.
The 55 year old Edwards was on the 12th of December 2016 indicted by a Washington court along with five other accomplices on charges of swindling investors to the tune of over US $ 50 million.
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya a close associate of Edwards, was earlier seen chaperoning the now accused US swindler, when an Indian Spiritual Guru visited the island nation. This was besides him being the chief guest on several occasions along with his Ministerial son in law, at the Royal Turf Club Nuwara Eliya horse races organized and conducted by Edwards.
According to the allegations contained in the Indictment: From at least June 2013 through August 2016, Rienzi Edwards, Michael Jacobs, Ruby Handler-Jacobs, F.K. Ho, Lawrence Lester and Rachel Gendreau orchestrated and executed a fraudulent high-yield investment programme known as the “Cities Upliftment Programme,” or CUP, which the defendants falsely told investors was operated by the New York Fed. The scheme was principally designed and operated by Edwards, with the assistance of Jacobs and Handler-Jacobs, and was marketed to investors around the world through brokers, including Ho, Lester, and Gendreau.” The statement also said that, Michael Jacobs, Handler-Jacobs, Lester and Gendreau were arrested by the US law enforcement authorities. It also said that Edwards and Ho are currently at large.
The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe. Arraignment is scheduled for December 20, 2016, in federal court in Manhattan. “Edwards, 55, of Sri Lanka, Jacobs, 64, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Handler-Jacobs, 64, of Albuquerque, New Mexico are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of money laundering, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of conducting monetary transactions in unlawful funds, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; one count of conspiracy to impersonate employees of the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of five years; one count of impersonating employees of the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of three years; and aggravated identity theft, which carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison.”
However claiming his innocence in an interview over the telephone, Edwards had told Sunday Times Business Online that he was unaware of these charges, as he had not been contacted by any US authoritative government body to date. He had also claimed that he did not know any of the others accused in this case.
Meanwhile a commentator by the name of Michael Protiva using an electronic media forum had stated that two of his accomplices Michael Jacobs and his wife Ruby Handler – Jacobs had visited Rienzie Edwards and stayed for a period of one month as his guests in Sri Lanka two years ago.
Rienzie Edwards broke into the Sri Lankan business scene a couple of years ago and soon started purchasing properties such as Asha Hospital and a range of boutique hotels which he named Edwards Collection. However the tycoon and his wife Purni Edwards were soon hauled in by the Financial Crimes Investigation Department and investigated under the prevention of the money laundering act 5 of 2006 and its provisions. They were summoned, grilled, passports impounded and a case filed at the Chief Magistrates Court in Colombo bearing case number B34119/01/15. The presiding judge Gehan Pilapitiya ordered the case file to be sent to the Attorney General’s Department pending his opinion to proceed.
In his interview with Sunday Times, Edwards also claimed that his FCID case in Sri Lanka had been withdrawn in the Magistrate’s Court in December 2015.
However it is still to be established if according to Edwards’ claim, top rung Ministerial and government support was used to muscle his way through and have his FCID case withdrawn.
Rienzie Edwards in early 2015 got involved in reviving horse racing in Sri Lanka and with the help of the Speaker Karu Jayasuriya’s son in law and the then Minister of Sports Navin Disanayake formed the Royal Turf Club. The Minister of Sports Dissanayake then solicited a deal and offered the rental of the prestigious 64 hectares race course in Nuwara Eliya and its stables through the Sugathadasa National Sports Complex Authority for a paltry sum of Rs 110,000 per month.
Minister Navin Dissanayake was recently photographed traveling to Kyoto along with Rienzie Edwards and Royal Turf Club officials to witness the horse races in Japan.
It was also earlier reported that the Speaker Karu Jayasuriya’s son in law and Minister Navin Dissanayake along with the current Minister of Sports Dayasiri Jayasekara were also blatantly violating laws of the country to support Rienzie Edwards’ horse racing project. What is alarming is that horse racing is not a sport nor a discipline that even comes under the Ministry of Sports in Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile a close associate of Rienzie Edwards’ contacted Colombo Telegraph yesterday and requested the published article “Sri Lanka’s Anti-Corruption Event Fetes Man Charged With Corruption” published on the 9th of December 2016 to be removed from its website. The caller also begged Colombo Telegraph not to publish any stories pertaining to the current case filed in the US against Rienzie Edwards.
Earlier in October 2011, Raj Rajaratnam, a Sri Lankan-American, the founder of the Galleon Group and former hedge fund manager and billionaire was found guilty on all 14 counts of conspiracy and securities fraud in US court and sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was also fined over $150 million. (By Janaka Ranawera )
The Oracle / December 21, 2016
This guy is a master operator. Looking at all his investments in SL during the last couple of years , I’d say he must be running a chain of Laundromats around the world.
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Michael Protiva / December 31, 2016
Do you think Sri Lanka will extradict him?
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Jayantha Dhamarapala / December 21, 2016
Indeed that Navin Dissnayake’s what about his father was most corrupted Minister of Mahawila projects in-charge, who has been Earn billions of Rupees by given contract local UNP partnership.
Karu Jayasuriya as Mayor been politician against many corruptions charges during his Mayorship in CMB.
Most of Dissnayakers’s and Jayasuriya’s are well known UNP’s by politically corrupted families in Sri lanak.
For Example look at near the British Council land and & property was brought by Gammine D…. during his Minister of Mahaweli.
This Property deal was NOT that declared to Income Tax Department during Gammie tenure.
Gammi become rich by divert of Mahawalie Longest Rive in Sri lanka within six years of short period of history!
His (Navin) son of Gammine followed by his Father’s foot path of venture business with New Set of Businessmen oversees of “Good Governances”.
Navin has ‘good’ venture capital partnership with New alliance of Karu Jayasuriya the Speaker of House!
Mandate granted to them by SasiBaba!
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Sammy / December 23, 2016
Mandate granted to them by the Buddha also? Also to MR, Gnanasara Thero etc!
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sacre blieu / December 24, 2016
As always, they are all in it together.
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Silvia Geiger / December 27, 2016
Edwards is lying by saying that he has no idea who Michael Jacobs is. Edwards has known Michael Jacobs and Ruby Handler Jacobs for quite a while. All three were involved in a real estate deal in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. They baited people by saying that they intended to build a movie studio. I have personal knowledge of this because part of this property belongs to me. They dealt with a realtor named James Wheeler for years. At least once have all three met at my realtors office.
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Melissa / December 28, 2016
I know for a fact also he was involved because i live with ruby and michael jacobs for 3 and a half yrs and i overheard many phone calls with him and i know they traveled there and metioned him several times. They lied to me and my family saying they were getting money for humantarian work and made trips to sri launka and new york and would never come back with the money. The way they made it sound was legit so even we got duped we were lied to and now because of these assholes we now have to move out and lost everything. We have been cleared because we didnt know what they were doing. Sigh its been stressful
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Silvia Geger / December 30, 2016
Melissa, I assume you are the lady we read about in the Albuquerque Journal. I am so sorry to what happened to you. We too had been deceived by these two. Let’s just hope that the judge in NY throws the books at them. All the best, Silvia.
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Michael Protiva / December 30, 2016
Melissa, back in 2010 we were told by the realtor working with them that they were in the south working on a deal that the United Nations approved of because it helped people in a humanitarian manner. As it turned out, the Jacobs and Lester were forging phony Sovereign Guarantees on the City of Selma letterhead and trying to get SWIFT payment on these documents from a bank in Dubai to a shell company that they formed in the Cayman Islands. That scam failed because the banking Dubai called Wells Fargo corporate headquarters to verify the authenticity of these documents. The Jacobs claimed that they were putting a project together in Selma, Alabama that was in the 10 figures that would create thousands of jobs. The city of Selma knew of no such project and nothing of any Sovereign Guarantees. In 2012 they were arrested for selling unregistered securities and had 57 counts against them. Case was not prosecuted in a timely manner and dismissed. The Jacobs are experienced scammers.
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Melissa / January 10, 2017
Yes that was me in the abq journal. And i keep finding out more stuff. She is in oklahoma jail still waiting for arranment in new york. She might get released to come home but shes better staying in new york. She will have new charges down here in new mexico if she returns. She still believes she is innocent and hasnt done anything wrong and shell be okay. She dosent believe she is all over the world in papers. Wow its just horrible and now i have to pick up tge pieces. We have to move out i workrd for her security company but since we lived here we didnt get paid. I started a go fund me page but we are struggling. Thank u all for the support.
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Eddie Wijesuriya / April 22, 2017
Having known the Hon. Karu Jayasuriya personally for many years I do not believe that he is involved in this scam, but I cannot speak for the others.
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