Trader admits bilking 29 investors, including ex-NFLer, out of $1.2M
May 12, 2025
Denver resident Ian Bell, 36, pleaded guilty last week. (LinkedIn)
A Denver stock trader has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering as part of a scheme that stole and squandered more than $1 million from 29 investors.
Ian Bell, 36, entered the guilty pleas in a federal courtroom Thursday and agreed to repay $1.2 million. Federal prosecutors dropped 16 other counts as part of a plea agreement.
“To obtain money from investors, Bell touted his investing skills and told many investors he could earn significant returns with low risk,” the plea deal states. “In nearly all cases, however, he spent or lost the investors’ money within days or weeks of receiving it.”
Bell admits lying to investors about how their accounts were doing, including “sending screenshots of fabricated gains” to hide losses and solicit greater investments.
“When investors demanded the return of their money, the defendant provided numerous excuses,” the plea agreement states. “In some cases, he fabricated email addresses and sent investors fake email correspondence to lull them into believing he would be receiving additional money soon.”
Bell also mailed investors checks he knew would bounce, he admits. Some proceeds from his scheme paid his girlfriend’s credit card bills, others were wired to his mother.
Ryan Lewis is the assistant defensive backs coach at Mines. (Colorado School of Mines)
Bell will be sentenced Aug. 1 in Denver. He faces between 37 and 57 months in prison, along with the $1.2 million in restitution, a fine of $15,000 to $200,000, and probation.
His attorneys, Harvey Steinberg and Samantha Ivy at Springer & Steinberg, declined to comment. So did a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Colorado.
Bell must still contend with one lawsuit from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and another from Ryan Lewis, who bounced between several NFL teams from 2017 to 2021. When he reportedly met Bell in fall 2021 in Cherry Creek, he was playing for the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL, a minor league. He now coaches at Colorado School of Mines.
Lewis claimed in his 2023 lawsuit — and the SEC alleged last year — that Bell showed Lewis an online account summary falsely indicating that Bell managed $300 million in assets. Lewis said Bell also sent him fake screenshots showing his $100,000 investment had multiplied fivefold, so Lewis invested an additional $186,500. He is Bell’s largest victim.
Denver resident Ian Bell, 36, pleaded guilty last week. (LinkedIn)
A Denver stock trader has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering as part of a scheme that stole and squandered more than $1 million from 29 investors.
Ian Bell, 36, entered the guilty pleas in a federal courtroom Thursday and agreed to repay $1.2 million. Federal prosecutors dropped 16 other counts as part of a plea agreement.
“To obtain money from investors, Bell touted his investing skills and told many investors he could earn significant returns with low risk,” the plea deal states. “In nearly all cases, however, he spent or lost the investors’ money within days or weeks of receiving it.”
Bell admits lying to investors about how their accounts were doing, including “sending screenshots of fabricated gains” to hide losses and solicit greater investments.
“When investors demanded the return of their money, the defendant provided numerous excuses,” the plea agreement states. “In some cases, he fabricated email addresses and sent investors fake email correspondence to lull them into believing he would be receiving additional money soon.”
Bell also mailed investors checks he knew would bounce, he admits. Some proceeds from his scheme paid his girlfriend’s credit card bills, others were wired to his mother.
Ryan Lewis is the assistant defensive backs coach at Mines. (Colorado School of Mines)
Bell will be sentenced Aug. 1 in Denver. He faces between 37 and 57 months in prison, along with the $1.2 million in restitution, a fine of $15,000 to $200,000, and probation.
His attorneys, Harvey Steinberg and Samantha Ivy at Springer & Steinberg, declined to comment. So did a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Colorado.
Bell must still contend with one lawsuit from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and another from Ryan Lewis, who bounced between several NFL teams from 2017 to 2021. When he reportedly met Bell in fall 2021 in Cherry Creek, he was playing for the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL, a minor league. He now coaches at Colorado School of Mines.
Lewis claimed in his 2023 lawsuit — and the SEC alleged last year — that Bell showed Lewis an online account summary falsely indicating that Bell managed $300 million in assets. Lewis said Bell also sent him fake screenshots showing his $100,000 investment had multiplied fivefold, so Lewis invested an additional $186,500. He is Bell’s largest victim.
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