29.03.2025 11:30
The largest bank in the U.S. by assets, JPMorgan Chase, is in trouble due to a major fraud case. Charlie Javice, the founder of a startup acquired by the bank in 2021, was found guilty in federal court of defrauding the bank by significantly exaggerating the company's customer list.
American entrepreneur Charlie Javice was found guilty of defrauding JPMorgan Chase in a $175 million deal. The court's decision came after weeks of testimony regarding who was responsible for the downfall of what was once a promising startup in New York. Frank, founded by Javice in 2016, aimed to help users apply for college financial aid.
JPMorgan accused the 32-year-old Javice of tricking the bank into paying $175 million for a company that had more than 4 million customers, despite actually having fewer than 300,000.
EMAILS RELEASED
As the largest bank in the U.S. by assets, JPMorgan filed a lawsuit against Javice in late 2022. In the lawsuit, JPMorgan released emails showing that Javice hired a data scientist to create a fake customer list. Subsequently, in April 2023, the Department of Justice charged Javice with four crimes, including wire and bank fraud, which carry decades of prison time. Javice was arrested at Newark Airport on April 3 of that year and was released on bail.
Javice maintained her innocence and claimed she was innocent throughout the trial; her lawyers accused JPMorgan of rushing to complete the acquisition of Frank out of fear that other bidders would emerge. The sentencing hearing is set for August.