The discussions abruptly ended when LeClair’s lawyer told them the matter was in litigation and could no longer be discussed. Winnie never received anything back on her investment.
The retired Fox Sports technical director and his retired schoolteacher wife were invited to an estate planning seminar by LeClair for elderly people investing their money for a secure retirement.
The former JPL financial analyst was told by LeClair’s brother that he would earn up to 14 percent on his investment and was guaranteed to get his principal back.
LeClair took advantage of the retired teacher and her desire to help her son cope with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, by pressuring her to invest several times in Windsor Pictures and the movie Not Forgotten.
Maxine S. was 77 years old, a retired kindergarten teacher who needed money to care for her son suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease. Robert H., then 73, was a retired financial analyst at JPL. He and his wife, a retired assistant principal, needed money to pay for the care of her 92-year-old father.
“The notion that this case had anything to do with Scientology is patently false like the claims made to investors in LeClair’s Ponzi scheme. LeClair conned Californians, most of whom were seniors, out of their life savings and she got caught.