DiBruno Family Scams

For the past twenty years, the DiBruno familyVitamin-C filled, chewable, tangerine flavored
from Belmont, NC have scammed hundreds ofproduct with colostrum. As usual, the DiBruno's did
people out of tens of millions of dollars.not have a product nor did they have any intent
The DiBruno's made a living taking advantage ofto sell any product. It was all about selling
the elderly, inexperienced investors and theirfraudulent stock to pocket all the money.
friends. They are ruthless con-artists who haveJoseph DiBruno Jr. (Photo R) and Nicholas DiBruno
knowingly defrauded people out of their lifestarting working with their con-artist parents in
savings to treat themselves to expensive cars,the late 90's. By the year 2000, the DiBruno
homes and jewelry.brothers were actively participating in the family
I could not possibly list all of the scams thescam business. Joe DiBruno Jr. incorporated at
DiBruno's have been involved in over the yearsleast nine different companies in the state of
but I promise you will get the idea if you read theNorth Carolina in 2001.
following...In 2000, Joseph DiBruno Jr. created a company
Joseph DiBruno, Sr. and his wife Lela DiBrunocalled Internet Business Design Group or IBD. Joe
established the family criminal enterprise in theJr. & Nick DiBruno scammed a South Carolina
early 1980's. Joe DiBruno partnered up with somewoman to invest in the non-existent IBD and
fellow crooks in 1983 to create a bogus companypromised her big returns. In 2002, the victim filed
called 'National Gas & Power Co.' or 'NGP.'a lawsuit against I.B.D Group, Inc., Joseph DiBruno
DiBruno and his co-conspirators told potentialJr. and Nicholas DiBruno. In 2003, the SC courts
investors they operated a successful recyclingawarded the victim $74,500.
plant in Virgina and planned to expand.Another shell company DiBruno Jr. incorporated in
DiBruno produced false documentation to mislead2001 was called 'DiBruno Brothers Mining, Inc.' The
potential investors into believing there was afather and sons team claimed they were part of
company and recycling plant to invest in. HeKnights of Malta and had certain mineral rights on
presented them with false profit information andgovernment land in New Mexico. They were
had his cohorts act as satisfied investors tosupposedly working with the Knight of Malta to
further convince the investors. After DiBruno andmine for gold and bring "hope and nourishment to
his cronies convinced people to invest in NGP andmillions of children around the world." They
collected the money, they did not provide anypresented investors with fake land surveys and
further financial information to the 'shareholders'even went so far to forge an insurance policy
of NGP. In addition, none of the parties involved infrom Lloyds of London guaranteeing the mine to
selling the stocks were licensed security agents.be worth $500 million dollars!
NGP was subsequently shut down by the SEC inIn 2003, Joe Jr. and Nick DiBruno solicited people
1989. DiBruno was convicted of security lawto invest in a company called "IFT" or International
violations but he never paid a cent to the victimsFood Technologies, Inc. The DiBruno brothers told
he defrauded nor did he spend one day in jail forpotential investors their father was a nutritional
his crimes. The SEC violations didn't stop DiBruno.scientist who started IFT and had developed a
This was only the beginning of his career inflavored milk product containing the sucralose
cheating people out of money.sweetener "Splenda."
DiBruno had a partner in crime named CecilThe DiBruno's claimed the drink was healthier than
Minges. Minges was an older man and a veterana sugar sweetened drink and the product was
con artist himself. Minges formed a fake companyintended for sale in schools throughout the United
in Florida called 'US Dairy.' He claimed he had theStates. They gave false profit information to
recipe for low cholesterol milk and bilked investorsinvestors and continued to solicit them for more
out of millions of dollars before US Dairy was shutmoney. The DiBruno's told the investors the
down by the SEC in 1994.investment would profit 400%. One of the scam
Two months after Minges' company US Dairyvictims from Indiana sued the DiBruno's in 2004.
was shut down, DiBruno formed a corporation inAt the same time, the DiBruno's and Cecil Minges
North Carolina called 'Golden Jersey Products' orwere busy persuading people to invest in their
GJP. DiBruno formed the 'shell' business tofake record company called KB Records. The
continue Minges' milk scam; however, DiBruno, Sr.men told potential investors they had signed a
took it to the next level. Joseph DiBruno informedcontract with a talented singer named Jody Lee
potential investors he could buy the formula forHage and Sony Records wanted to buy the rights
cholesterol free milk for $2.5 million dollars. Theto his songs for $20 million dollars. According to
formula was supposedly called 'Replace' and theHager, he lived with the DiBruno's for over a year
product was to be called 'Dairy Trim.'and was paraded around completely naive to the
DiBruno had the audacity to send out pressfact the DiBruno's were scamming him too.
releases and have a press conference announcingIn 2004, two scam victims hired a private
his new milk product. DiBruno's announcementinvestigator from Florida to research the DiBruno
appeared on CNN and in the NY Times tofamily so they could bring the case to court. The
promote a product he didn't even have thepair decided it was high time to put an end to the
formula for. DiBruno promised his investors a hugeDiBruno family scams and see to it that justice is
return on their investments and once againdone. The private investigator thoroughly
produced fake documentation to coax his victimsresearched the DiBruno's and he was able to
into investing in the company. In addition, he hadgather enough information to put together a 586
his co-conspirators on hand to act as thepage report to submit to the US Attorneys
enthusiastic investors again.Office, IRS, The Securities and Exchange
Joe DiBruno, Sr., his criminal cohort, Cecil Minges,Commission and the Florida Division of Securities.
and his eldest son, Joe DiBruno Jr., printed piles ofThe DiBruno family knew they were going down
worthless GJP stock certificates and sent them toand vowed their victims would never see a cent
investors. Overall, the DiBruno's sold 10 millionso Joseph DiBruno, Sr., Joseph DiBruno, Jr and
shares of phony GJP stock. The list of GJBNicholas Dibruno all filed for bankruptcy. This was
shareholders (victims) includes 350+ people.a big mistake because they were basically inviting
The sad part is that DiBruno was in fact offeredgovernment to look at their financial situations. Of
a cholesterol free milk formula for $2.5 millioncourse, the DiBruno's did what they do best and
dollars; however, he never paid for it nor did helied on the bankruptcy filing paperwork. The family
plan to. DiBruno never made any effort to buyfailed to include many assets and it came back to
the formula or take the steps necessary to bringbite them.
the milk product to market.In November of 2006, Joseph DiBruno, Sr. and his
In 1999, a group of investors from Florida filed atwo sons were FINALLY indicted in Federal Court
complaint against Joseph Sr., Golden Jerseyon charges of money laundering, securities fraud,
Products and two co-conspirators. The investorsfrauds & swindles, concealing assets &
claimed they were defrauded when theydefrauding the United States. Joseph DiBruno Jr. is
purchased GJP stock. Around the same time, thecharged with numerous additional counts of wire
IRS filed a tax lien against the DiBruno's home infraud, mail fraud, promotion of money laundering,
Florida for the amount of $969,027. Joe DiBrunoconcealment of assets and conspiracy.
Sr. and Lela DiBruno quickly filed for a shamJoseph DiBruno & Nicholas DiBruno were
divorce to protect their assets. It wasn't untilreleased from jail but Joseph DiBruno, Jr. remains
2002 when Golden Jersey Products sent a memoin jail. He filed a petition for release from jail
to shareholders advising them GJP was bankrupt.pending a trial but his petition was denied.
Joe DiBruno, Sr. and his cohorts continued theI hope the DiBruno boys go away for a long time!
cholesterol free milk scam until the late 90's untilFor some reason, Lela DiBruno was not indicted.
they thought of a new scam...They invented aShe was involved in the scams and profited from
company who supposedly had the rights to athem so hopefully she will be charged as well.
product had called "Immuno-C." Immuno-C was a