behind the largest woman-led Ponzi scheme in US history--$400 million. This
real-life story includes a multitude of participants, banks, hedge funds,
egomaniacs, and small-time crooks, all fueled by greed, stupidity, and a keen
desire to look the other way. And even when they were looking in the right
direction, all of these people and entities saw nothing. Gina was the Penn and
Teller of misdirection, acting with caring behavior to other people (while
bilking her investors), creating philanthropic endeavors and single-mindedly
pursuing her dream of building an empire, taking it public, and cashing out all
the investors.
In August 2019, Gina's seven-year program of selling phony liquor license
loans came to an end when the SEC, the US Attorney's Office, and the FBI filed
suit and shut it down. In San Diego, Gina, then fifty-four, was an icon. To the
outside world, this beautiful, charismatic woman looked as if she had succeeded
in a male-dominated good old boys club--building an empire that included real
estate, restaurants, and retail; she was a guest economics commentator for the
San Diego Union-Tribune; she served on prestigious corporate and nonprofit
boards. The City of San Diego even honored her with her own Gina Champion-Cain
Day. She cooked dinner for her husband Steve, walked the dogs on the beach, and
was a role model for young women. But in reality, her empire was a house of
cards funded with money from a financial fraud.