CONCORD - Roberto Montano, 55, formerly of Guatemala City, Guatemala, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Monday and charged with three counts of wire fraud, Acting United States Attorney John J. Farley announced today.
According to the Indictment, Montano is a Guatemalan citizen who managed two forestry projects in Guatemala for investment funds managed by a New Hampshire-based investment adviser between 2007 and 2014. Beginning in approximately late 2009, Montano, whose management company was called Green Millennium, embezzled the projects' funds by (1) diverting cash and concealing the diversions using altered bank and financial statements; (2) mortgaging the Projects' properties without authorization and investing the proceeds in unsuccessful business ventures; and (3) stealing teak forestry subsidies paid by the Guatemalan government. A criminal complaint previously was filed against Montano in 2015 and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Montano has been a fugitive from justice since that time.
The charges in the indictment are only allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen and Assistant U.S. Attorney John S. Davis. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney William Morse previously handled the case.
The FBI has released a wanted poster which can be viewed at: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/wcc/jorge-roberto-montano-pellegrini
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
