Corona Woman Sent Back to Prison for Executing Celebrity-Based Scam Soon After Release from Custody in Prior Fraud Cases
LOS ANGELES – A Corona woman who recently completed a 79-month federal prison sentence stemming from a $15 million bank fraud scheme was ordered back to prison on Monday for executing a similar fraud scheme in which she lied to a victim about celebrities such as LeBron James supporting her supposed venture.
Carolyn Marie Jones, 57, was sentenced Monday afternoon to 20 months in prison by United States District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald after she admitted violating the terms of her supervised release. Once she completes this prison stint, Jones will be on supervised release for 40 months.
At Monday’s hearing, Jones admitted that she violated the terms of her supervised release by defrauding a victim in violation of California law. While still in custody and then immediately after being placed on supervised release, Jones fraudulently obtained a $13,000 investment “through a myriad of lies, false pretenses, and material omissions,” court documents state.
According to documents filed by prosecutors, Jones purported to be a successful and well-connected denim jeans entrepreneur, claiming that numerous celebrities supported her denim brand, including the Kardashian and Jenner families, Taylor Swift, Floyd Mayweather, Chrissy Teigen, Will Smith, and Jada Pinkett Smith. Jones also falsely claimed that LeBron James had offered her $500,000 for equity in her company.
“In the wake of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and one of his daughters, [Jones] used their deaths as a way to prop up her company and bolster her carefully-crafted image of being a well-connected entrepreneur,” the government’s sentencing memorandum states. Text messages show that Jones falsely told the victim that she was in contact with the Bryant family after the crash, consoling them, and that prior to his death, Bryant had wanted his daughters to be the “face” of her denim brand.
Jones admitted on Monday that she violated other terms of her release by failing to disclose an open line of credit, failing to disclose an open bank account, and engaging in a business involving the solicitation of funds without the express prior approval of her probation officer.
As he ordered her back to federal prison, Judge Fitzgerald told Jones: “This is the final chance.” If Jones violates any term of her supervised release again, Judge Fitzgerald said that he would give her the “harshest sentence” permitted by law.
The prison sentence completed earlier this year was the result of two cases against Jones – one involving bank loans and bankruptcy fraud, and another involving a wire fraud scheme Jones perpetrated while free on bond in the first case. Both indictments stemmed from Jones’s false portrayal of herself as a successful and well-connected denim jeans entrepreneur. Jones’s fraud schemes related to her company, DDI, sometimes known as Diamond Decisions, Inc., which sold high-end jeans under the labels Privacywear and PRVCY Premium.
Jones pleaded guilty in February 2015 to one count of bank fraud and one count of concealing assets in bankruptcy. Jones “executed not one, but two, fraud schemes of epic proportions resulting in a loss to Union Bank and numerous investors of $15,124,100,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
When she received the 79-month sentence in December 2015, Judge Fitzgerald characterized Jones as “truly a greedy, awful person.”
This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and the United States Secret Service.
The cases against Jones were handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Ruth C. Pinkel and Lindsey Greer Dotson of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section.
Anyone who has information about Jones’s conduct or thinks they may be a victim of Jones is encouraged to contact IRS Criminal Investigation’s Los Angeles Field Office at (213) 372-4490.
Release No. 20-176
- Clio and vLex Join Forces In Billion-Dollar Push for Smarter Legal Tech
Clio made a major move that will reshape the emerging LegalAI marklet by buying vLex for $1 billion, a deal that brings together two big names in law tech. Clio is known for tools that help lawyers run their firms. vLex is famous for smart AI-powered legal research. The deal is a game-changer for law firms, putting a world-class legal AI engine—Vincent—and a massive database of case law in the hands of a company that powers law firms, not just legal publishers. The deal also marks a shift in how legal AI is used. Clio’s main job is to h - How Nonequity Partners Are Reshaping Big Law – Thanks To Kirkland & Ellis
Kirkland & Ellis flipped the script on law firm partnerships by building a massive nonequity partner tier, now over 1,000 stron, which has let Kirkland promote more lawyers, faster, than most competitors, turning what some once called a “marketing trick” into a powerhouse business mode Recruiters now have Kirkland’s nonequity partners on speed dial. “They’re hot property,” the partner says. “Even if they’re not equity, getting a Kirkland ‘partner’ is a win for any recruiter or client.” Criticism of Kirkland’s two-tier, salaried partner model has faded. Now, other firms want in. The move is seen as smart business, not just a trick. Kirkland’s success, and the Wall Street money being paid to some partners in such firms, has pushed other big firms - From Wachtell to Latham – Inside M&A Star Zach Podolsky’s Big Move
M&A star Zach Podolsky is now a star at Latham & Watkins after leaving Wachtell Lipton, where he led some of the biggest deals in the country. His switch is a major win for Latham but an equally big loss for Wachtell. Known for his work on major energy deals, Podolsky led Wachtell’s team on APA’s $4.5 billion buy of Callon Petroleum, among other top deals, making him one of the most recognized names in mergers and acquisitions. In 2024, he ranked second globally by MergerLinks for advising on nearly $70 billion in transactions, including the ConocoPhillips acquisition of Marathon Oil and Diamondback Energy’s purchase of Endeavor Energy Resources. - Stop Karping Says Brad . . Why Paul Weiss’s Boss Says The Firm Is In Good Heart Despite Departures
Seven partners and others have left Paul Weiss but their former firm remains in good heart according to firm boss Brad Karp, who met with litigation partner to refute the ‘disinformation’ about the firm, according to a New York Law Journal report. Seven partners have left Paul Weiss for Dunn Isaacson Rhee, a new litigation boutique in Washington, DC. that is building a formidable team of Paul Weiss alumni who decided the heavyweight firm’s Trump Administration deal was too much to stomach. Paul Weiss promised Trump $40 million in free legal services on shared causes, including combating antisemitism and ensuring “fairness in the justice system.” - When Celebrity Trials Turn into TikToks
Celebrity trials are the new reality TV. The recent cases of Sean “Diddy” Combs and Harvey Weinstein have turned courtrooms into stages, with every detail dissected by fans, critics, and armchair lawyers. Take Weinstein (pictured below at this first trial – Season 1, if you like). After a rollercoaster of headlines, a Manhattan jury just found him guilty again—showing that even powerful figures can be held to account, but not without twists and turns. - Damian Williams Leaves Paul Weiss in a Move That Screams Politics Over Profits
Damian Williams isn’t just another high-powered litigator making a lateral leap, he’s making waves, raising eyebrows, and possibly laying the groundwork for a pivot into politics. If you’ve been tracking the latest episodes in the “Trump v. Biglaw” saga, you’ll know this isn’t your average career hop. Williams, the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, is stepping out of the white-shoe fortress of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP just five months after arriving—and into the arms of Jenner & Block, where he’ll co-chair the litigation department out of their New York office. - How Kennedys’ Billion-Dollar Strategy Is Redefining Global Law Firm Growth
Kennedys just pulled off a financial hat trick, reporting a record-shattering 13 percent revenue boost to an eye-watering £428 million (that’s USD 551m, AUD 848m, or EUR 511m—pick your currency, we’re making it rain in all of them) for FY25. Eleven straight years of growth? At this point, we’re basically the legal world’s answer to Marvel’s box office streak, unstoppable, and with no sign of franchise fatigue. Let’s break down the Kennedy’s global offering.
