A Watertown man who once coached youth soccer in Brighton faces a federal wire-fraud charge following his arrest today for allegedly convincing several people, including a relative and a former college acquaintance, to keep giving him money for “guaranteed” but, in fact, non-existent, high-return investments in African soccer clubs.
At first, Adrian John Kawuba, 33, used money from later investments to repay the earlier ones, then just gave up in a flurry of e-mail and text apologies in which he complained of everything from the bank putting a hold on his account to him just getting laid up sick in bed, according to an affidavit by an FBI agent on the case.
Kawuba, born in Uganda, promised short-term rewards of as much as 60% as he allegedly helped finance “short-term private financing solutions to soccer clubs for transfer market transactions and deals” in Africa, the affidavit states.
Kawuba managed to keep the scam going for more than three years, racking up at least $2 million from six different investors in the US, Canada and the United Kingdom. He used the money he didn’t return on a series of luxury purchases – including clothing, shoes and jewelry in Boston and Miami – stays at hotels in Greece and Florida, a trip to Mexico and a $26,295.96 rental for a private plane trip to Miami, the affidavit states.
Based on my review of bank records, I have not identified any instances of any investment or financing activity consistent with KAWUBA’s representations to the…
