Yukom Binary Options Scheme – Boiler Room agent Lissa Mel sentenced to 12 months in prison and significant restitution payment

The U.S. indictment concerning the $145 million binary options fraud scheme of Israeli Yukom Communications Ltd with its websites BinaryBook and BigOption has reached a new milestone. Boiler Room agent Lissa Mel, an Israeli citizen, was sentenced a 29 August 2019 by a U.S. court to one year in prison, two years of supervised release and a restitution payment of $288,024. Lissa Mel had pleaded guilty to binary options fraud in a plea deal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

According to the “Stipulation of Facts” attached to her January 29, 2019 plea agreement, Mel worked as a sales representative for Numaris Communication from July 2015 till November 2016. As a boiler room agent, she induced investors to deposit funds based on material misrepresentations and lies about.

Lissa Mel is only one of 15 employees of the Israeli boiler room operators Yukom Communications Ltd and Numaris Communication Ltd who have been indicted by the U.S. Government for binary options fraud.

The Scheme’s CEO and Beneficial Owners

The CEO of Yukom Communications, Lee Elbaz, was found guilty of binary options fraud on August 7, 2019. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 9, 2019, before U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang of the District of Maryland, who presided over the trial. Lee Elbaz is expected to be sentenced to several years in prison along with substantial restitution payments.

Read the U.S. Department of Justice press release on the Lee Elbaz conviction.

The beneficial owners behind the Yukom scheme, the Israelis Yossi Herzog and Kobi Cohen, are also accused. There is currently no known date for the trial.

• Lee Elbaz (a/k/a “Lena Green”), the former CEO of the Israel-based company, Yukom Communications, was found guilty after a three-week jury trial of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of wire fraud. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 9, 2019 .
• Lissa Mel (a/k/a “Monica Sanders”) worked as boiler room agent for Numaris. She pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She was sentenced to a 12-months prison term and a restitution payment of $288,024.
• Austin Smith, (a/k/a “John Ried“) former Vice President of Numaris, a partner of Yukom and founder of Wealth Recovery International pleaded guilty, Sentencing has been scheduled for September 3, 2019.
• Liora Welles (a/k/a “Lindsay Cole” “Lindsay Wells,” and “Lindsay Taylor”) pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Sentencing has been scheduled for Sept 20, 2019.
• Shira Uzan (a/k/a “Shira Baror” and “Emily Laski”) pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud charged.  Sentencing has been scheduled for Sept 20, 2019. 
• Yair Hadar (a/k/a “Steven Gold”) pleaded guilty on March 21, 2019. Sentencing has been scheduled for Sept 23, 2019.
• Yossi Herzog, a beneficial owner of the Yukom Scheme, is indicted with binary options fraud. Trial date and details of the indictment are not yet publicly known.
• Kobi Cohen, a beneficial owner of the Yukom Scheme, is indicted with binary options fraud. Trial date and details of the indictment are not yet publicly known.