In re Sanctuary Belize Litigation

  1. October 02, 2023

    High Court Won't Review $120M Sanctuary Belize Ruling

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to review the appeal of approximately $120 million in monetary sanctions against individuals connected to offshore real estate development Sanctuary Belize, leaving in place a circuit court ruling that upheld the entirety of a lower court's final judgment.

  2. April 20, 2023

    Fla. Attorney Settles Bahamas Real Estate Scam For $350K

    A Florida lawyer paid $350,000 to settle his involvement in the fraudulent sale of land in the Bahamas after he was determined to be liable for more than $1 million in damages, according to an agreement approved by a Maryland federal judge on Thursday. 

  3. April 06, 2023

    Sanctuary Belize Developer Arrested For Embezzlement

    Andris Pukke, a defendant in the Federal Trade Commission's long-running Sanctuary Belize civil suit accusing him of operating a real estate scam, has been arrested on criminal charges of wire fraud and embezzlement in an operation directed by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and the FBI.

  4. April 05, 2023

    High Court Told $120M Sanctuary Belize Ruling Was Unjust

    Individuals connected to an offshore real estate development known as Sanctuary Belize and described by the Federal Trade Commission as a "scam" have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review their appeal of approximately $120 million in monetary sanctions, saying they were denied due process.

  5. November 02, 2022

    4th Circ. Denies Operators' Appeal In Sanctuary Belize Scam

    The Fourth Circuit in a mixed ruling has effectively upheld the entirety of a district court's $120.2 million final judgment against the operators of the purported luxury Sanctuary Belize development, knocking down their challenges to a slew of judicial decisions.

  6. August 22, 2022

    Investors Seek 4th Circ.'s Help In FTC's Belize Scam Case

    Multiple investors have asked the Fourth Circuit to help them recoup $1.95 million in litigation over the purported luxury development Sanctuary Belize that the Federal Trade Commission says swindled American consumers, arguing that a lower court erred when spurning their intervention bid.

  7. August 25, 2021

    Judge Rips Defaulted Defendants In Sanctuary Belize Case

    A Maryland federal judge has slammed a bid by multiple defendants in long-running litigation over the purported luxury development Sanctuary Belize to escape default judgments entered against them based on their claims that a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision nullifies the judgments.

  8. August 09, 2021

    FTC Urges Enforcement Of $120.2M Sanctuary Belize Ruling

    The Federal Trade Commission has urged a Maryland federal judge to enforce a $120.2 million judgment against the operators of purported luxury development Sanctuary Belize, despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that guts the agency's restitution power, saying the ruling hasn't altered the litigation's outcome.

  9. April 26, 2021

    Sanctuary Belize Defendants Cheered By Justices' FTC Ruling

    The operators of the purported luxury development Sanctuary Belize are appealing a $120.2 million judgment against them in Maryland district court, and the Federal Trade Commission is preparing to fight that appeal, following a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that guts the agency's restitution power.

  10. January 22, 2021

    FTC Wins $120M Judgment In Sanctuary Belize Scam Suit

    The Federal Trade Commission has won a Maryland district court's approval of a final $120.2 million judgment against the operators of the purported luxury Sanctuary Belize development, which the FTC says swindled American consumers in the largest offshore real estate scam ever targeted by the commission.