United States Attorney Cole Finegan | U.S. Department of Justice
Bryant Edwin Sewall, a former executive of a trading firm, has been sentenced to 23 years in prison. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced that Sewall, 57, from Little Elm, Texas, was found guilty by a federal jury in May 2024 on charges including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. His associate, Michael Shawn Stewart, 61, from Scottsdale, Arizona, was also found guilty on similar counts and awaits sentencing.
The trial revealed that Sewall and Stewart were involved with companies operating under the names Mediatrix Capital and Blue Isle Markets across various Caribbean islands. They misled investors with false claims about an algorithm-based foreign currency exchange trading program. Despite promises of "100% Transparency," "100% Liquidity," and "World Class Returns," it was shown that Mediatrix had many months of net losses since its inception in 2014.
Further evidence indicated that after attracting investors into their scheme, they manipulated account statements to hide substantial losses while showing only positive trades. By the end of their operations, they had promised over $179 million but held only $9.8 million in accounts—a discrepancy they called “the hole.” Despite losing approximately $32 million in trades, Sewall and Stewart collected around $28 million in performance fees and converted investor funds into over $45 million through markup fees via their brokerage Blue Isle. The money funded personal luxuries such as real estate and cars. Sewall has been ordered to pay approximately $93 million in restitution.
Acting United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Matt Kirsch commented on the sentence: “This is a serious sentence for a serious crime,” emphasizing justice for those victimized by Sewall's actions.
FBI Denver Special Agent In Charge Mark Michalek remarked on the case: "Mr. Sewall and his co-defendants orchestrated an elaborate foreign currency investment fraud scheme that caused extensive financial harm to unsuspecting victims."
Michael Young, another partner involved with Mediatrix and Blue Isle Markets, previously pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the Securities and Exchange Commission and received a sentence earlier this year.
The sentencing was overseen by United States District Court Judge William J. Martinez. The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Denver Field Office with prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorneys Anna Edgar, Bryan Fields, along with former AUSA Pegeen Rhyne.
Case number: 21-cr-00034-WJM