Investment Adviser Henry Meyer Sentenced to 69 Months for Stealing $6.5 Million Through a Fake 'European Derivative' Program

Case from 2018 (U.S. Attorney's Office release: May 16, 2018). Published on Scammers.com Oct. 16, 2026; case status is current as of that date.

Henry Meyer, owner of HCM Asset Management LLC in Coral Gables, Florida, was sentenced on May 16, 2018, to 69 months in federal prison for stealing $6.5 million from clients, most of them family members and friends, including relatives in the Chicago area, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois announced [1]. He was ordered to pay $6.5 million in restitution.

How the scheme worked

According to Meyer's plea agreement, as described by prosecutors [1]:

1. A product that didn't exist: Meyer told investors their money would go into a "European Derivative Investment Program" that supposedly profited from the failures of several European economies.
2. Invented credentials: He claimed partnerships with European firms, membership in a group of highly successful investment firms, and returns as high as 600%.
3. Reality: The program did not exist and his firm never produced successful returns. He spent money on rent, utilities, car payments and restaurant meals with tips in the hundreds of dollars.
4. "Battle Plan": When the FBI searched his apartment in 2016, agents found a document on his desk titled "Battle Plan" that discussed raising money from new investors to make Ponzi-type payments to older ones and expediting a passport as part of an "international escape" to places such as the Bahamas, Thailand or New Zealand.

The scheme ran from 2009 to 2016. Some victims were elderly and had invested retirement savings.

The person sentenced

Henry Meyer, 47 at sentencing, of Coral Gables, Fla. [1]

• Arrest: 2016.
• Plea: pleaded guilty in 2017 to one count of mail fraud.
• Sentence (May 16, 2018): 69 months in prison and $6.5 million in restitution, imposed by U.S. District Judge Charles R. Norgle.
• Investigation: FBI Chicago.

Red flags

• Returns as high as 600%, or any return far beyond the market.
• Exotic-sounding strategies ("European derivatives") that the adviser can't document.
• Investments sold mainly to relatives and friends who are less likely to demand paperwork.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Verify the adviser's registration at adviserinfo.sec.gov and with FINRA BrokerCheck.
2. Insist on an independent custodian that sends statements directly to you.
3. Report suspected investment fraud to the SEC at sec.gov/tcr and the FBI at ic3.gov.

Case status (as of Oct. 16, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 16, 2026	Source
Henry Meyer, Coral Gables, Fla.	N.D. Ill. (Judge Norgle)	Arrested 2016; pleaded guilty to mail fraud in 2017; sentenced May 16, 2018, to 69 months; $6.5M restitution	[1]

The sentence was imposed in 2018; we have not found a source on any later proceedings.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "Investment Advisor Sentenced to More Than 5 Years in Prison for Misappropriating $6.5 Million in Client Funds," May 16, 2018. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/investment-advisor-sentenced-more-5-years-prison-misappropriating-65-million-client

---

Corrections and updates: If you are named in this article, or represent someone who is, and believe anything here is inaccurate or out of date (including a dismissal, acquittal, or change in case status), please contact us at editorandchief@scammers.com. We will review it and update the article promptly.