Photo: Andris Pukke, Sanctuary Bay mastermind 

Andris Pukke was arrested by the FBI last Wednesday morning in Los Angeles and charged with wire fraud and unlawful monetary transfer of US$13 million from the bogus Sanctuary Belize development. 

by Marco Lopez 

BELIZE CITY, Wed. Apr. 12, 2023

Exactly one week ago, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) charged Andris Pukke with wire fraud and embezzlement in connection with what has been dubbed the largest land scam uncovered by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to date. The Sanctuary Bay scheme is said to have banked US$124 million through its marketing of housing in a luxury retirement community on a 14,000-acre tract of land in southern Belize. The package being marketed to retirees overseas turned out to be a phantasm, created by Pukke and his colleagues, including an offshore bank in Belize, and a local businessman who engaged in aggressive marketing tactics to fill the scammers’ coffers. 

Pukke was booked last week for wire fraud and unlawful monetary transactions for the embezzlement of US$13 million through the Sanctuary Bay development scam. The charges brought against Pukke after the unsealing of the indictment in Manhattan Federal Court could result in a total prison sentence of up to 30 years for Pukke if he is convicted.

According to the US Department of Justice, “Pukke used the embezzled funds for his personal benefit, including the renovation of his home in Newport Beach, California; investments in various entities unrelated to Sanctuary Belize; investments in unrelated real estate developments; repayment of personal debt; and payments to PUKKE’s family members.”

Meanwhile, the road, utilities, deep water marina, canals, hospital with American staff, golf course, and local airport that were touted as some of the amenities in Sanctuary Bay were never constructed. Over 1,000 persons who bought properties from the scammers reportedly lost sizable amounts of money. By 2018 the FTC obtained a Federal Court Order to halt the real estate scam after more than US$100 million was already siphoned, mostly from American buyers. Atlantic International Bank Limited was accused of illegally assisting and facilitating the Sanctuary Bay Belize scam. 

According to FTC documents, “AIBL representatives visited SBE’s California offices and coached SBE’s telemarketers about the services the bank could provide U.S. consumers interested in Sanctuary Belize lots, including lower interest rates and relaxed underwriting for buyers wishing to finance Sanctuary Belize home construction. AIBL urged the telemarketers to sell its banking services to American consumers as part of the Sanctuary Belize sales pitch.”

AIBL in September 2019 settled with the FTC for US$23 million dollars under a consent order in connection with charges that it assisted the Sanctuary Bay promoters and various related entities in deceiving US consumers as a part of the real estate scheme. 

FTC noted in their release, “Notably, AIBL filed multiple unsuccessful motions to dismiss the FTC’s case based on alleged lack of personal jurisdiction because, like many offshore banks that assist and facilitate domestic deceptive practices, AIBL had no offices, employees, or operations within the United States.”

One Belizean businessman, John Usher, who was the principal of the Sanctuary Bay development locally, was found liable by the US Courts for his involvement in the scam and was ordered to pay US$120,200,000 – representing the amount of money lost through the Sanctuary Belize real estate development scheme. This is according to most recent court records signed in 2021, since previous court documents state that he was ordered to pay US $138,700,000. Usher’s assets and bank accounts were frozen shortly after. 

In these filings, Andris Pukke; his partner, Peter Baker; and Luke Chadwick were similarly ordered to pay US$120.2 million to the FTC. The court’s final order against the men, including Usher, also imposes bans that prohibit them from engaging in activities pertaining to marketing and telemarketing sales, and selling or assisting others in selling most real estate, as well as from any involvement with Sanctuary Belize.  

In addition to this, all the assets of Sanctuary Bay were turned over to a receiver, Robb and Evans & Associates LLC. They were ordered to take control of the receivership assets — all the unsold land and areas of development that do not belong to specific persons. A letter from the Government of Belize to the FTC penned by Prime Minister, Hon. John Briceño in December 2020 signals support for a Joint Redress Plan proposed by the FTC and court receiver to adopt. 

Sanctuary Bay has been rebranded “New Sanctuary,” according to the Joint Plan designed by FTC and the Receiver and seeks to “stabilize the development, restore confidence, and help ensure infrastructure is complete,” according to the PM’s letter.