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Isaiah Goodman of MoneyVerbs Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud

What to know about the plea agreement of Isaiah Goodman:

  • Goodman, a Twin Cities investment advisor, broker, owner of Becoming Financial Group, Inc. and Becoming Financial Advisory Services L.L.C., and founder of MoneyVerbs, has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to mail fraud
  • Federal sentencing guidelines suggest a prison time from five and a quarter years to just more than eight years
    • Judge Susan Nelson can adjust the prison time at her discretion
    • The prosecution and defense can also argue for shorter or longer prison times during sentencing on June 29
  • The plea agreement also stipulates Goodman must pay back all $2,250,123 he defrauded from his investors
    • Goodman must also forfeit property he secured as a result of the misappropriated funds including homes in Plymouth and Maple Grove, SUVs, and additional holdings

For additional information about Goodman’s case, read our original post detailing the charges and the fraud scheme.

What to know about charges against Isaiah Goodman, Founder and CEO of MoneyVerbs:

  • According to a release from the office of United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald, Goodman has been charged in federal court with a single felony count of mail fraud
  • Goodman, a registered investment advisor, broker, and owner of Becoming Financial Group, Inc. and Becoming Financial Advisory Services L.L.C., is alleged to have defrauded at least 23 clients our of approximately $2,250,123 between 2017 and 2020.
  • As part of the defraud scheme, Goodman is alleged to have provided clients with false online accounts, profitability information, and fund performance
  • Goodman is also alleged to have promised clients a return of their funds upon request but instead, “either kept all of the money or provided investors with refunded payments that were late, incomplete, or both, or that were refunds actually funded by other clients’ money.”
  • According to the allegations, Goodman deposited client funds into his own bank accounts and used them to remodel his Maple Grove home, build a $1.69 million home in Plymouth, purchase multiple SUVs, and purchase other items including a hot tub, jewelry, and a cruise
  • Goodman is also alleged to have used $700,000 of the defrauded funds MoneyVerbs, a financial literacy app
  • Goodman has not yet appeared in front of a judge

For more information on the charges, read the full release from the office of United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald below.


United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced a felony information charging ISAIAH LESLIE GOODMAN, 33, of Maple Grove, Minn., with one count of mail fraud. GOODMAN will make his initial appearance before a Magistrate Judge in U.S. District Court at a later date.

According to the allegations in the information, GOODMAN was a registered investment advisor and broker who owned Becoming Financial Group, Inc., and Becoming Financial Advisory Services L.L.C. GOODMAN also owned and operated MoneyVerbs, a business that claimed to provide customers with financial guidance through an internet-based app. Through Becoming Financial Group, Inc., and Becoming Financial Advisory Services L.L.C., GOODMAN represented that he would provide his clients with financial planning and investment advice, including purporting to place his clients’ savings and retirement funds into financial accounts that GOODMAN claimed were safe, secure, and profitable.

According to the allegations in the information, from at least 2017 through November 2020, GOODMAN defrauded at least 23 of his investor clients out of approximately $2,250,123. As part of his scheme to defraud, GOODMAN lied to prospective and existing clients about his use of their money, the security and profitability of the financial accounts he claimed to administer on their behalf, and the status and performance of their funds. During in-person sales pitches or through email messages and phone calls, GOODMAN provided clients with materially false and fraudulent information, including investment proposals and bogus online account information. GOODMAN also misrepresented to clients that their funds would be returned to them upon request, when, in fact, GOODMAN either kept all of the money or provided investors with refunded payments that were late, incomplete, or both, or that were refunds actually funded by other clients’ money.

According to the allegations in the information, instead of placing his clients’ money into safe and secure investment accounts, GOODMAN deposited client funds into bank accounts he controlled. GOODMAN misappropriated his clients’ funds for his own use and benefit by, among other things, purchasing and remodeling his home in Maple Grove, using funds for the purchase and construction of a $1.69 million home in Plymouth, buying a 2019 Ford Expedition and a 2020 Ford Explorer, funneling approximately $700,000 toward his other business, MoneyVerbs, and paying for personal expenditures, including a hot tub, a cruise, fitness club memberships, jewelry, and credit card payments.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Minnesota Commerce Fraud Bureau.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew S. Ebert is prosecuting the case.

The charges contained in the information are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Defendant Information:

ISAIAH LESLIE GOODMAN, 33

Maple Grove, Minn.

Charges:

Mail fraud, 1 count

Alex Skjong
Alex oversees the content produced for BETA, Twin Cities Startup Week, and tech.mn. When he’s not writing or editing, there’s a good chance he’s enjoying a refreshing brew and explaining the merits of heavy metal (of which there are many).