On Thursday, July 30, 2026, a new financial fraud case rocked the Haitian diaspora in the United States. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the conviction of Haitian citizen Marc Henry Menard (35 years old), alias "Marco," arrested on August 11, 2025, formerly of Mineola, New York, for a three-year financial scam targeting the Haitian community in New York, Florida, and Georgia.

"Marc Henry Menard lied to hard-working New Yorkers and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars to treat himself to lavish trips and luxury purchases," said Attorney General James.

Menard stole more than $600,000 from numerous investors. Unable to offer or sell securities, Menard solicited hundreds of thousands of dollars from unsuspecting individuals, claiming to be a highly successful trader capable of generating monthly returns exceeding 10%. Instead, Menard transferred investors' money into his own trading account, where he incurred substantial losses due to high-risk trades. Menard also used investors' money to pay for personal expenses, make expensive travel purchases, and buy luxury goods, including items from Gucci and Louis Vuitton, as well as to reimburse former investors.

On April 17, 2026, to avoid prison, Menard pleaded guilty in Nassau County Supreme Court to second-degree robbery, first-degree fraud, and securities fraud. He was sentenced on July 30, 2026, to five years of probation and barred from engaging in any activity related to the securities industry for five years.

The conviction handed down Thursday follows an investigation by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Bureau of Financial Crimes Investigation (CEFC). The investigation, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, revealed a systematic manipulation of community trust. Between July 2020 and June 2023, Menard allegedly methodically targeted members of the Haitian community in Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, and Queens counties, as well as in Florida and Georgia, to invest thousands of dollars in his company, Marcotech LLC. He promised investors monthly returns of 12 to 20 percent and higher percentages if they recruited other investors. To convince them, Menard presented himself as an experienced and highly successful stock and cryptocurrency trader. Menard presented investors with a fake ATM receipt showing a bank balance of over $8 million, along with a fake trading screenshot displaying a net worth of over $1 million. Investors, trusting these false statements and believing they were making substantial profits, continued to invest. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) investigation revealed that between July 2021 and October 2022, the highest actual net worth in Menard’s trading account was $240,000, and the highest balance in his bank account was $301,000.

This case was investigated by Assistant Attorney General David Vargas of the California Environmental Care Fund (CEFC). The analysis was conducted by Senior Analyst Joseph Conniff, under the supervision of Chief Analyst Jayleen Garcia. The accounting expertise was conducted by Lead Investigator Brenna Magruder, under the supervision of Chief Auditor Kristen Fabbri and Deputy Chief Auditor Sandy Bizzarro of the Criminal Audit Section. The CEFC was led by Bureau Chief Stephanie Swenton and Deputy Bureau Chief Joseph G. d’Arrigo.

The criminal investigation was conducted by Detective Chief Brian Metz, under the supervision of Deputy Chief Juanita Bright, Deputy Chief Samuel Scotellaro, and Supervisors Walter Lynch and Anna Ospanova. The Bureau of Investigations was led by Lead Investigator Oliver Pu-Folkes. Both the CEFC and the Bureau of Investigations are part of the Criminal Justice Division, headed by First Deputy Attorney General Jose Maldonado and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.

SL/ HaitiLibre