A Florida man who had formerly lived in Mineola was arrested and indicted on Wednesday, July 30, for allegedly stealing over $600,000 from members of New York’s Haitian community as part of a fraud scheme, according to State Attorney General Letitia James.
Marc Henry Menard ran the scheme for almost three years using money from 11 investors, the AG said.
“Marc Henry Menard took advantage of Haitian New Yorkers, lied to them about his experience as a successful trader, and swindled hard-working people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars,” James said.
From July 2020 to June 2023, Menard allegedly sold backers on the promise of up to 20% returns on their investment, portraying himself as highly successful in the field.
To convince them of his bona fides, Menard allegedly showed investors a forged ATM receipt showing an account balance of more than $8 million and a doctored computer screenshot that showed assets worth $1 million.
The AG’s investigation revealed that his bank account had $301,000 at its peak and his trading account never had a net value of more than $240,000.
Menard targeted Haitians in Nassau, Suffolk, Queens and Rockland counties, as well as some in Florida and Georgia, the AG said. Victims were told to invest in a company he owns called Macrotech LLC, which is registered to an apartment in Mineola. James said.
The money was funneled into his personal accounts instead, where Menard used it to engage in “high-risk” dealings like day trading, wherein assets are bought and sold in the same day, according to the AG.
In the period between July 2021 and October 2022 alone, Menard incurred losses of more than $670,000.
Beyond the negative returns, he also spent money on trips to Disney World, Turkey, and Puerto Rico, James said. The AG’s release also cited lavish purchases, such as shopping sprees at Louis Vuitton and Gucci, along with a Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
Menard was arrested on July 30 in Sunrise, Fla., and arraigned Aug. 11 before Judge Tammy Robbins in the Nassau County Supreme Court.
“Menard treated himself to luxury vacations and shopping trips at his victims’ expense, and now we are bringing him to justice,” said the AG.
He faces 24 felony charges, including grand larceny, securities fraud, and falsifying business records.
If convicted, Menard faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.
