A Louisiana man has pleaded not guilty to charges he scammed investors and banks out of more than $96 million in a scheme that allegedly included his use of a disguise and a professional makeup artist.
David deBerardinis remained free on bond following his arraignment Monday at the federal courthouse in Shreveport.
The 56-year-old businessman wasn't arrested after his Jan. 25 indictment on four counts of wire fraud and one count of attempted bank fraud.
The indictment says deBerardinis used false identities and phony bank statements to perpetuate a fraud scheme that began in 2008 and lasted until at least July 2016. The document doesn't elaborate on how deBerardinis allegedly used a makeup artist and disguise to solicit funds from a New York private equity group.