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SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah entrepreneur currently facing a federal civil lawsuit accusing him of running a Ponzi scheme is also facing criminal charges after police say he took an elderly woman's money and left her in a house with no running water or utilities because he didn't pay her bills.
Earlier this month, a judge ordered Joseph Paramore Firmage, 53, of Salt Lake City, to stand trial on charges of financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult, a third-degree felony, and intentional abuse or neglect of a vulnerable adult, a class A misdemeanor. He's scheduled to be in court again on March 15.
Firmage, who is listed on his LinkedIn page as the founder and chairman of Science Invents, is also currently facing a federal lawsuit accusing him of running a Ponzi scheme to solicit investments by misrepresenting that he and his associates had been awarded federal contracts after allegedly devising a new aerospace propulsion technology concept.
In June 2023, a social worker with Adult Protective Services called police after performing a welfare check on an 80-year-old woman who lives on Salt Lake City's east side near the University of Utah.
The social worker discovered that the woman "had lost a substantial amount of weight after already being of small frame," that her caretaker, Firmage, had canceled her cellphone service and cut her landline, that none of her Social Security checks had been deposited for several months, and that the woman had attempted to apply for a loan on her home "which she owned free and clear of any mortgage or lien," according to charging documents.
Firmage had control of the woman's finances and was supposed to be paying her bills, police learned.
But when officers went to her home, they "detected a smell of raw sewage as a result of there being no running water in the home. It was later discovered that the water was shut off for lack of payment due to Firmage not paying the utility bills," the charges state.
A family member told investigators that the woman can only call relatives using Firmage's phone, and that "when she calls, she is always on speaker phone and can hear Firmage yelling. (She) explained that Firmage has been isolating (the woman) from her family," according to the charges.
When police conducted a follow-up check on the woman in August, they noted that she appeared very thin, her property taxes had still not been paid, and "there was also little food in the kitchen and two jugs of water. (Police) discovered that the water still had not been turned back on," the charges state.
Police again questioned Firmage, who "became agitated" and told them that "he had several business endeavors and expected to receive $200 million from the federal government, and that he was moving to Washington, D.C., to run for president. Firmage also provided several business names of companies he claimed to own, but they either did not exist or were expired for several years," the charges allege.
A search warrant affidavit served during the investigation further states that "Joseph Firmage is currently unemployed but has stated he is running for president of the United States of America, and he is closing a business deal with the Department of Defense and he will be paid over $100 million from the Federal Reserve. Joseph Firmage has made many statements that he'll have the money soon to pay all the past due bills."
But by Aug. 30, police learned that the woman's gas and electricity had been shut off and her local church was helping her pay those bills, according to the charges.
Firmage was arrested on Aug. 30 on warrants.
"At the jail, it was discovered that Firmage had four credit cards with (the woman's) name on them. A search of his vehicle also discovered (the woman's) mail, including past due bills and a check from her (bank) account for $10,000," charging documents state.
During a welfare check on Sept. 28, the woman told police that "her dogs would be going away soon, then clarifying that they would be living in the White House," the charges state. "It was also confirmed that there was no food in the residence."
"Over the course of the investigation, it was discovered that Firmage represented that he cares for (the woman's) food, utility bills, gives her rides, monitors her phone calls, and controlled her family's access to her. Firmage stated on several occasions that he would pay past due bills and had access and control over her finances. Firmage also took out loans in (her) name, attempted to refinance her home and have the funds rerouted to his then-boyfriend," the charges state.
However, Firmage "failed to pay utility bills despite repeated statements that he would the next day, leading to (the woman's) water, gas and electricity being shut off. The residence smelled of raw sewage and the conditions of the residence left (her) without proper access to water, electricity and heat. Further, the defendant failed to provide sufficient food for (the woman) and also isolated her from communicating freely with relatives."
The warrant further states that the woman told investigators that "she does not know where her retirement benefits are going" and that she has "numerous judgments against her from a business venture Joseph Firmage started under her name and multiple signature loans with her financial institution. ... (She) has stated on numerous occasions that she has never had financial issues until the past few years, and she does not seem to understand how or why this is happening."
Firmage's attorney declined comment on Tuesday.
Firmage made a name for himself in the 1990s by founding Serius Corp. in Salt Lake City at age 17, selling computer programming tools. Novell acquired the company in 1993 for an estimated $24 million. He later co-founded USWeb, which merged with CKS Group Inc., an internet marketing and business company, to form a company that at one time had an estimated $260 million in annual revenues. In 2022, Firmage announced that he is running for president.
