One of the Ohio pair of pit bull fraudsters, Luke Westerman entered a guilty plea in the financial fraud case against him. This case has meandered through the courts endlessly but came to an end yesterday with the guilty plea. It is to be hoped that Steffen Baldwin's case will soon conclude as well. Baldwin is scheduled to stand trial in early December.
Westerman's guilty plea covered 19 unlawful securities practices. It is possible Westerman might serve a total of 31 years and 6 months in prison for these crimes but the prosecution and the defense jointly recommend PSI, Community Control - 5 years, and restitution of $1,096,656.09. The recommendation is not binding upon the court. Given the fact that Westerman's reported wealth was either stolen from his clients or totally imaginary, how is he going to manage restitution?
Quick review, Westerman posed as a wealthy entrepreneur heading multiple businesses. This status allowed him to virtue signal endlessly, pushing pit bulls became a huge sideline. The partnership between Westerman and Baldwin caused the suffering of animals in Baldwin's case and financial pain to those who invested with or worked for Westerman. Click here for a quick review. For a far more comprehensive look at Westerman please read Unmasking a con on Dogsbite.org
To be fair, who would trust this individual with their money? Westerman is scheduled to be sentenced on November 18th.
For some insights into Westerman's fraud and thought process, please click here. This is how Westerman presented himself to the world. His self-satisfaction was both stunning and laughable.
We look forward to Baldwin's trial.