Timber fraud: US businessman sentenced to 41 months in prison

A Michigan timber dealer who operated a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors of over $2 million has been sentenced to 41 months in federal prison. The sentence, handed down by a U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids, also requires the defendant, Trent William Witteveen, 40, to repay $844,282 in restitution to his victims. Witteveen, a former owner of Titan Timber and Titans Timber LLC, used his companies to orchestrate a fraudulent scheme between 2018 and 2021. Promising high returns, he persuaded investors to fund logging projects based on fabricated or exaggerated timber contracts. His operation primarily targeted ...