Two charged in case of alleged $1 million fraud of pizza investors

Two people who allegedly took around $1 million from investors who believed they were buying stock options or franchises of a pizza restaurant chain have been charged in San Diego Superior Court with more than two dozen counts related to fraud or theft.

The victims, which included senior citizens and military veterans, paid between $5,000 to $150,000 in hopes of becoming legitimate business owners or stockholders, according to the California Attorney General’s Office, which said many of the victims had “little to no business investment experience.”

After getting the victims’ money, the defendants cut off communication with them, prosecutors said.

The alleged scheme ran from 2020 to 2023. A criminal complaint states the investigation was sparked after one of the victims discovered in 2021 that one of the defendants leased an Aston Martin with a loan secured under his name.

After he reported what happened to law enforcement, investigators discovered there were dozens of other victims, many of whom “were previously unaware that they were victims of fraud perpetrated by the defendants,” the complaint states.

The defendants, Latashia Patrice McKinney — who also goes by the last name of Robinson — and Lae’shaun Jacqueline McKinney, were arrested in Florida and extradited to San Diego, where they have since been arraigned.

Along with the pizza franchise scheme, Latashia Patrice McKinney is additionally accused of taking $287,000 in fraudulent loans from the Small Business Administration, which were intended to help businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement, “The white- collar crime scheme perpetrated by these defendants stole money from Californians who were attempting to become entrepreneurs or make investments into business.

“At the California Department of Justice, we won’t stand idly by if individuals cause financial harm to hardworking Californians to enrich themselves.”