A southwest suburban man was found guilty on seven counts of wire fraud Friday for bilking investors out of more than $100 million through his website development business, The Income Store, which federal prosecutors alleged was a Ponzi scheme.
Kenneth Courtright, a polished pitchman who operated The Income Store out of his Minooka home, lured more than 500 investors with promises of high annual returns in perpetuity if they paid a six-figure upfront fee used to build and operate websites, according to the February 2020 indictment.
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The jury verdict followed a seven-day criminal trial in Chicago federal court. A separate civil complaint filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission against Courtright and The Income Store is ongoing.