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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A Utah man is accused of a scam that took life insurance benefits from a widow whose husband was killed in a Salt Lake City mall shooting.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports Jason K. Brown, of South Jordan, has been charged with one count each of second-degree felony theft and securities fraud.
Utah Department of Commerce investigators said Brown, 41, approached Vickie Walker at church in 2007, offering an investment opportunity. Her husband, Jeffery Walker, died during a shooting rampage at the Trolley Square mall the same year. Her son was also shot in the head but survived with permanent injuries.
Investigators said Brown promised Walker long-term returns of up to 200 percent on a $250,000 investment in U-Haul storage units in Billings, Mont.
Walker sent a check to Brown in September 2007 but received none of the promised documentation. By 2009, Walker had received none of her money back and Brown had ceased payments on a motor home he had purchased from Walker, investigators said.
As she tried to recoup her money, Walker learned it was not solely used for the storage-unit investment but instead had been scattered to other business investments and individuals, according to investigators.
Walker said she sued Brown in civil court last year, but the case has stalled because she couldn't afford the legal bills.
Since 2007, Brown has been a defendant in 11 finance-related lawsuits. In one case currently on appeal, he and his co-defendants face a judgment of more than $700,000.
Walker declined to comment on the criminal charges, beyond saying that her family would "watch this with great interest."
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