Maryse Liburdi (formerly Maryse Thomas) is the former[1] chairman and CEO of Pokeware, a technology company and ad exchange she founded in 1997.[2][3] In September 2017, she was convicted of fraud for having deceived investors about the financial state of the company.[1]
Maryse Liburdi | |
|---|---|
 Maryse Liburdi in 2013 | |
| Occupation | Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Pokeware |
Other work
editLiburdi has been an active member of the lobbying organization Technet[4] and has participated in regional events advocating innovation economics. In 2017, it was announced that she was one of the managers of a venture capital fund investing in sub-Saharan Africa tech startups.[5]
Fraud conviction
editLiburdi was arrested in April 2016 in Rome, stemming from US charges[6] accused of investor fraud in the range of $25–30 million.[7] In June 2017, she pled guilty of having defrauded investors by falsifying the company's bank accounts, making Pokeware appear to be in better financial condition than it actually was. Over a million dollars in investor money was spent on Liburdi's personal life.[8] On September 29, 2017, Liburdi was sentenced to 49 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and an order to repay the $7 million and to forfeit another $7 million.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Ex-CEO Of Pokeware Gets 4 Years For $7M Investor Fraud". www.law360.com.
- ^ "Pokeware's Maryse Thomas". elle.com. 2011-04-01. Retrieved 2011-04-01.
- ^ "Maryse Thomas Combines Fashion and Technology". Gotham Magazine. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
- ^ "Over 100 Leading Tech Executives Urge President Obama and Congress to Enact High-Skilled Immigration Reform". www.technet.org. 2013-03-14. Archived from the original on 2013-03-16. Retrieved 2013-03-14.
- ^ "Everything you need to know about East African startup landscape [2019 Update]". 8 March 2019.
- ^ "Roma, catturata dall'Fbi Maryse Liburdi: l'ex moglie del giocatore della Virtus Cassino ricercata per truffe milionarie sul web". 29 April 2016.
- ^ "Bella e truffatrice: ascesa e caduta di Maryse Thomas - Corriere TV". video.corriere.it.
- ^ "Ex-CEO of Pokeware Pleads Guilty to $6M Investor Fraud - Law360".