"CHICAGO — A federal jury found a Minnesota man guilty of running a 3.65 billion dollar Ponzi scheme that fleeced customers for more than 10 years, the Justice Department said in a statement. Thomas Petters, 53, was convicted on charges of wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering and faces over 100 years in prison, as well as massive fines. The Justice Department said Petters "obtained billions of dollars in money and property" by telling investors their funds would be used to purchase merchandise that would be resold for profit." - Steven Perez from Bookmarklet