A Swiss executive who spent over a decade on the run from U.S. authorities pleaded guilty today to his role in a multimillion-dollar securities fraud scheme. Martin Schlaepfer, 67, admitted to federal charges in a Nevada court after living as a fugitive for nearly 11 years following his 2013 indictment.
According to court records, Schlaepfer acted as the CEO of Malom Group AG, a purported investment firm based in Switzerland. Starting in late 2009, Schlaepfer and several co-conspirators in both Switzerland and Las Vegas lured investors into fictitious opportunities.
The group claimed that, in exchange for significant upfront payments, Malom would provide clients with access to high-yield investments and large cash loans. To sell the lie, the conspirators showed victims forged bank documents that falsely claimed Malom held hundreds of millions of dollars in overseas accounts.
Once victims wired their money into escrow accounts, the funds were released and diverted to the co-conspirators. Prosecutors stated that Schlaepfer used a portion of these funds for his own personal expenses. In total, the scheme defrauded investors of approximately $6 million.
While his partners were caught years ago, Schlaepfer’s path to justice was much longer. He was arrested in Italy in September 2024 via an Interpol Red Notice and was eventually extradited to the United States in July 2025.
His plea follows the previous convictions of co-conspirators Anthony Brandel, James Warras, and Sean Finn, who were each sentenced to 87 months in prison following trials in 2015 and 2020. Another defendant, Joseph Micelli, received a 60-month sentence in 2015. One final defendant, Hans-Jurg Lips, remains at large.
The announcement was made by Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah. Schlaepfer is now scheduled for sentencing on June 9, where he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
A judge will determine the final sentence based on federal guidelines and statutory factors. Under the law, all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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