Kenneth Courtright of The Income Store Sentenced to 7½ Years for Website 'Site Partner' Ponzi Scheme

Case from 2020–2025 (U.S. Attorney's Office latest release: July 10, 2023; later developments are from court records and other sources cited below). Published on Scammers.com Oct. 16, 2026; case status is current as of that date.

Kenneth D. Courtright of Minooka, Illinois, ran Today's Growth Consultant Inc., which did business as The Income Store. A federal jury convicted him on July 7, 2023, of all seven wire fraud counts against him for a scheme that raised at least $130 million from more than 500 investors, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois announced [1]. U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly sentenced him on Jan. 18, 2024, to 90 months (7½ years) in prison [3] [4]. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed on Oct. 17, 2025 [3].

How the scheme worked

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Seventh Circuit [1] [2] [3]:

1. The pitch. The company said it would build or acquire websites for investors, whom it called "site partners." Site partners paid six-figure upfront fees, according to Chronicle Media [4].
2. The guarantee. Contracts promised a monthly payment "into perpetuity" equal to the greater of 50% of the websites' advertising revenue or the monthly equivalent of at least 15% of the investor's upfront fee. They also claimed the company was solvent and financially healthy.
3. The reality. From 2015 to 2019, the Seventh Circuit wrote, the company brought in about $27.8 million from website revenue and loans, far short of its $49.3 million in guaranteed payments. It made up the difference with $132.6 million in upfront fees from new investors.
4. Personal use. According to the appeals court, Courtright moved $2.9 million to his personal accounts and used $975,000 of company money for his mortgage and family tuition.

In December 2019, the company told investors there would be a "moratorium" on payments, according to the 2020 criminal complaint [2]. The SEC filed a civil enforcement action in 2019 (SEC v. Courtright, 19-CV-8454, N.D. Ill.), and a court-appointed receiver has worked to recover money for investors [2] [3].

The person sentenced

Kenneth D. Courtright, 53, Minooka, Ill. (N.D. Ill. No. 20-cr-00077)

• Charges: arrested Feb. 5, 2020, on a complaint charging wire fraud; later indicted on seven wire fraud counts [2] [3].
• Trial: convicted on all seven counts on July 7, 2023, after a two-week jury trial [1].
• Sentence: 90 months in prison, imposed Jan. 18, 2024, plus two years of supervised release [3] [4]. Chronicle Media reported that prosecutors sought more than 20 years and Courtright asked for 12 months or less of home confinement.
• Loss: the Seventh Circuit said the district court calculated a final loss of $52.5 million for sentencing purposes [3].
• Appeal: affirmed Oct. 17, 2025 (No. 24-1115). The court rejected his challenges to the sufficiency of the evidence and to the loss calculation [3].

Red flags

• Guaranteed "passive income" forever from websites, ads, e-commerce stores or similar online businesses.
• Promised returns of 15% or more a year, no matter how the business performs.
• Payments that depend on the company signing up new investors, and sudden "moratoriums" on payouts.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Ask for audited financials and check whether the offering is registered. Search the SEC's EDGAR database.
2. Be wary of "done-for-you" online income programs that guarantee returns.
3. Report suspected Ponzi schemes 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
Kenneth D. Courtright, 53, Minooka, Ill.	N.D. Ill. (20-cr-00077); 7th Cir. No. 24-1115	Convicted at trial July 7, 2023 (7 counts of wire fraud); sentenced Jan. 18, 2024, to 90 months; affirmed Oct. 17, 2025	[1], [3], [4]

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "Federal Jury Convicts Grundy County, Ill. Businessman of Investment Fraud," July 10, 2023. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/federal-jury-convicts-grundy-county-ill-businessman-investment-fraud
2. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "Grundy County Businessman Charged With Operating Ponzi Scheme," Feb. 5, 2020. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/grundy-county-businessman-charged-operating-ponzi-scheme
3. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, United States v. Courtright, No. 24-1115 (opinion, Oct. 17, 2025), via GovInfo. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-ca7-24-01115/pdf/USCOURTS-ca7-24-01115-0.pdf
4. Chronicle Media, "Ponzi schemer Courtright gets 7 1/2 years in prison," Jan. 18, 2024. https://chronicleillinois.com/news/cook-county-news/ponzi-schemer-courtright-gets-7-1-2-years-in-prison/

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