He’s a model/actor/world traveler who now finds another title affixed to his name — alleged Ponzi schemer. Beyond his pin-up good looks and dazzlingly white smile, former Florida Atlantic University student Donald R. French Jr. stands out from the never-ending parade of South Floridians accused of running investment frauds. Federal authorities say he was just 21 years old when he launched a $10 million “classic Ponzi scheme” he used to transform himself from a boy from Michigan into an international jet-setter. Local attorneys who track investment fraud cases say they have never heard of anyone so young accused of convincing people to entrust him with millions of dollars. French formed a Boca Raton-based company in March 2008, promising returns of up to 50 percent a year with investments in foreign currencies, emeralds and even a solar-energy project in Italy, according to federal court records. More in the Huffington Post here.
