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WEST JORDAN — A West Jordan man and a man from Arizona are accused of duping a woman into investing $265,000 into a subdivision in Moab that she later found out doesn't exist.
Richard David Nuffer, 43, of West Jordan and Casey Ryan Carter, 44, of Mesa, Arizona, were each charged last week with communications fraud, a second-degree felony.
In 2021, a woman says that Nuffer and Carter presented her "with an opportunity to invest in a subdivision in Moab through Nuffer's business, Big Nuff Estates, Inc.," according to charging documents. The woman was told "that her investment should double within a year."
In March 2021, the woman transferred $200,000 into Nuffer's account, an additional $50,000 in April 2021 to invest in crypto currency, the charges state, followed by another $15,000 to invest in more crypto currency.
Nuffer kept in contact with the woman and told her that her "investment was doing well as they were selling lots 'like crazy,'" according to the charges.
But in March of 2022, Nuffer called the woman "crying and admitted that he and Carter split (her) money and spent it," the charges state. The woman then "discovered that there was never a subdivision in Moab."
Nuffer claimed he would pay her back, but the woman went to police in January of this year. After detectives started looking at the case, they learned that Carter "used the investment money to pay for his personal bills and for a Mercedes-Benz valued at $55,751.93" and the money transferred to Nuffer's personal account "was used for personal bills, living expenses, and loan repayments," the charges state.
Police say a little under $10,000 was returned to the woman as of October of this year.
