Indictment returned in millionaire scheme

Erica D. Johnson

Tuesday, April 15, 2003 | 10:05 a.m.

A grand jury indicted a local businessman on theft charges in connection with thousands of dollars in fees paid after he promised to make people millionaires.

The indictment, unsealed last week before District Judge Gene Porter and presented by the attorney general's office, charges Marshall Sylver with nine felony counts of theft by false pretenses.

Prosecutors claim Sylver in September 2000 created the Millionaire Mentorship Program, a business in which he promised to teach people the skills necessary to become millionaires.

Sylver, the owner of Sylver Enterprises, a Las Vegas company that conducts self-help financial management seminars, is out of custody on a $27,000 bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned in District Court April 24.

"Not only does he face the indictment, but he faces numerous other gambling debts," Deputy Attorney General Tracy Brierly said.

But defense attorney Steve Wolfson argued for a lower bail, saying his client was not a flight risk, nor was he a threat to the community.

"He has significant ties to the Las Vegas community," he said. "He has been a Las Vegas resident for more than 10 years and he owns a home and a business here."

The document names nine people who invested from $4,500 to $6,500 in the 10-week program. Prosecutors allege participants were told they would double their investment within 90 days.

Sylver's course, which was touted on Las Vegas radio stations, offered a money-back guarantee to participants who were dissatisfied with the classes, according to the indictment.

The investigation came after investors complained that they did not receive refunds as requested, prosecutors said.