A Greene County grand jury has returned five felony indictments against executives and associates of Greenleaf Cos. LLC and The Real Estate Co. Inc., which were barred from selling or renting homes in Missouri earlier this year, according to a Feb. 9 news release from Attorney General Chris Koster's office, which secured a summary judgment against the defendants in December.
The indictments brought the following charges:
- Eric Gagnepain, 38, of Springfield, former part-owner of Greenleaf, is charged with 10 counts of securities fraud and nine counts of unlawful merchandising practices.
- Scott Dasal, 44, of Springfield, former president of The Real Estate Co., is charged with 10 counts of securities fraud and nine counts of unlawful merchandising practices.
- Misty Perkins, 30, of Highlandville, former director of investor relations for Greenleaf, is charged with 10 counts of securities fraud.
- William Strong, 42, of Springfield, former vice president of finance and daily operations for Greenleaf, is charged with one count of securities fraud and five counts of unlawful merchandising practices.
- Robert Batchman, 33, of Ozark, former real estate broker for The Real Estate Co., is charged with four counts of unlawful merchandising practices.
Each count of securities fraud carries a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in jail and a $1 million fine, and each unlawful merchandising practices charge carries a maximum potential sentence of four years in jail and a $5,000 fine, the release said.
Gagnepain, Dasal, Perkins and Batchman were released from custody after posting bond, but Strong remains in the Greene County jail, according to the release.
The next court appearances will be pre-trial conferences, scheduled for May.
In a separate action, Lane Sanders, 42, of Ozark, former president of Greenleaf, pleaded guilty Feb. 3 to one count of securities fraud and one count of unlawful merchandising practices. A sentencing date has not been set.
Springfield-based firms Greenleaf Cos. LLC and The Real Estate Co. Inc. have faced legal scrutiny for a real estate investment scheme that dates back to 2004. The companies received a cease and desist order prohibiting the companies from selling securities in Missouri in late 2008. Defendants associated with the companies allegedly defrauded consumers by selling them homes that were already owned by investors the defendants had solicited, according to
Springfield Business Journal archives.
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