A 72% Promise to a Church: Suspended Ann Arbor Trader Sentenced in $2.7 Million Commodities Fraud

Published Oct. 15, 2026. Case statuses are current as of that date.

"Guaranteed." In investing, that word should end the conversation, not start it. Federal prosecutors in Detroit say an Ann Arbor man used it again and again, and kept taking investors' money even after regulators had barred him from trading it.

On Oct. 7, 2026, Brian Mitchell, 44, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud in a commodities trading scheme that caused more than $2.7 million in losses, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan said. He was ordered to pay $2,749,210.60 in restitution and serve two years of supervised release [1].

Status note: Mitchell pleaded guilty and has been sentenced. No victims are named in this article; the government did not name the church involved [2].

How the scheme worked

According to court records described by prosecutors [1]:

1. The vehicles. Mitchell solicited money through entities including "Young Pros Investment Group" ("YPIG") and "My Nest Egg." The Michigan Daily described these as unregistered investment entities [3].
2. The promise. He made, and caused others to make, repeated misrepresentations that investors' principal was protected against loss and "guaranteed," along with false claims about future earnings.
3. The trading ban he didn't mention. While running the scheme, Mitchell settled with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over earlier Commodity Exchange Act violations from January 2018 to January 2019. The settlement barred him for three years from commodity futures trading and from soliciting or accepting funds for it. He kept soliciting, accepting and trading investors' money anyway, and did not disclose the ban.
4. The church. While suspended, Mitchell obtained $150,000 from a local church, falsely promising a 72% annual return that he claimed would produce $4,798,153 in earnings over five years.
5. The cover story. After significant trading losses, Mitchell told investors their principal was no longer guaranteed and falsely claimed the CFTC had seized assets he called "back-up money."

Prosecutors say at least 128 individuals and organizations were victimized [1].

"This defendant caused regular folks to lose millions of dollars. That was not enough for him, so he targeted a church to cover his scheme. He is shameless," U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. said [1].

The person sentenced

Brian Mitchell, 44, Ann Arbor, Michigan [1]

• Plea: guilty to wire fraud. The Michigan Daily reported the plea was entered in June [3].
• Admissions: that his conduct violated his prior CFTC settlement and the Commodity Exchange Act [1].
• Sentence (Oct. 7, 2026): 33 months in prison, two years of supervised release, $2,749,210.60 in restitution.
• Court: U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan. Investigated by the FBI's Ann Arbor Resident Agency; prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew J. Yahkind.

The restitution figure is an order to pay. The government's announcement does not say how much, if any, has been recovered [1].

Why the 72% figure should have set off alarms

A promised 72% annual return is far beyond what legitimate investments can reliably deliver, and the church was given a precise dollar figure, $4,798,153, five years in advance [1]. Real investment professionals do not promise exact future earnings on futures trading. Any return quoted that precisely, that far out, deserves hard questions and an independent second opinion.

Red flags of investment and commodities fraud

• "Guaranteed" principal or protection against loss on a speculative product like futures.
• Specific, very high returns promised in advance.
• Unregistered entities with friendly names soliciting money from community groups, churches or friends.
• A regulator in the story. Blaming the CFTC or SEC for "seizing" money is a classic stall.
• No independent custody. Your money goes to the promoter's account, not to a registered firm.

What to do before you invest, or if you already have

1. Check the background of anyone trading futures for you. The National Futures Association's BASIC database lists registration status and any CFTC or NFA actions, and the CFTC's website lists its enforcement actions.
2. Ask whether the person is barred or has settled with any regulator, and ask for it in writing.
3. Churches and nonprofits: require board approval and an outside professional review before investing any funds.
4. Report suspected fraud to the CFTC at cftc.gov, the FBI at ic3.gov or tips.fbi.gov, and your state securities regulator.
5. Ages 60 and older can get help from the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311.

Case status (as of Oct. 15, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 15, 2026	Source
Brian Mitchell, 44, Ann Arbor, Mich.	U.S. District Court, E.D. Mich.	Pleaded guilty to wire fraud; sentenced Oct. 7, 2026, to 33 months in prison, 2 years supervised release, $2,749,210.60 restitution	[1], [2], [3]

Statuses can change. Sentences can be appealed.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Michigan, "Suspended Ann Arbor Commodities Trader Sentenced To 33 Months in Federal Prison After Defrauding Local Church and Over 100 Other Victims in Multi-Million-Dollar Fraud Scheme," Oct. 7, 2026 (via Public Technologies). https://pubt.io/view/8671E8F3D49C8E95A73C12B504AEEBD68700DA85
2. "Ann Arbor trader sentenced to 33 months for fraud," Ann Arbor Record, Oct. 9, 2026. https://annarborrecord.com/articles/ann-arbor-trader-gets-33-months-for-2-7m-fraud-mv0ij9hj
3. Dominic Apap, "Ann Arbor man sentenced to prison for $2.7 million trading scam," The Michigan Daily, Oct. 10, 2026. https://www.michigandaily.com/news/news-briefs/ann-arbor-man-sentenced-to-33-months-in-prison-for-2-7-million-commodity-trading-scam/

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