Summary: A disbarred attorney from Las Vegas is wanted for getting people to invest in a fake medical marijuana company.
Former Las Vegas attorney Easton K. Harris was indicted alongside his childhood friend after three people filed a complaint after investing in what they thought was a medical marijuana company. Harris had been suspended by the State Bar of Nevada in December of 2015 and disbarred the following June.
Harris had over 100 professional conduct violations with at least 23 clients. The complaints typically involved him charging clients fees for work he didn’t do but promised to do or spending money he had collected from clients for safe keeping.
Harris and his friend Jonathan Peirsol approached at least three acquaintances that were not living in Las Vegas to invest in Sin City Organics LLC – a company they advertised to be a medical marijuana cultivation center and dispensary. The company was fake as it never existed even though it was registered with Nevada’s secretary of state’s office.
In the Las Vegas police report, one investor explained that Harris’ role as an attorney gave the company and her investment in it “more credibility.” The investor’s name was redacted from the report but he stated that she flew to Las Vegas in July 2015 to see the location for the future company. She told police that Harris and Peirsol took her to a building near the Strip, which was supposed to be “the location they were going to build out for the grow/cultivation facility.”
The arrest reports states, “When they arrived, they got out of the car and Harris began looking into the window of the building.” The true owner of the building was inside and came out to ask who they were. He left them in the building “full of junk and mechanical stuff.”
Harris explained to the investor that they would obtain permits to make major upgrades to the interior of the building. After visiting that site, they drove to a second site in North Las Vegas which they claimed was going to be the distribution site. She said, “They did not have access to the inside of the building but they walked around the perimeter of it.”
The report indicates that they two collected around $166,000 from their investors, which they have never gotten back. When the investor visited Las Vegas again in November of 2015 to see the sites, she revealed that the owners of the sites had never heard of Sin City Organics.
An investigation into the finances discovered that none of the invested money had been used towards creating a medical marijuana company. Instead, the money was used “to pay other expenses that appeared personal in nature.” This included purchases from gas stations, restaurants, bars, grocery stores, and trips to places like Belize.
The duo are facing four counts of theft each. Peirsol was already in federal custody for another case when the indictments came out. Harris had been arrested but was released on his own recognizance. He has since disappeared and is now wanted on a warrant.
Would you invest money in a company without more documentation and security measures in place? Tell us in the comments below.
To learn more about disbarred attorneys, read these articles:
- Attorney Douglas J. Mathis Arrested after 18 Months on the Run
- Disbarred Attorney Louis Uvino Acted as Practicing Lawyer to Steal from another Client
- Disbarred Attorney Embezzles $737K From Milwaukee Law Firm
Photo: cannabisnow.com