An Arizona restaurateur awaiting trial for murder has been indicted for orchestrating a $5.6 million Ponzi scheme and gambling with stolen funds.

Anthonie Ruinard Jr., 39, allegedly defrauded 54 investors through his fake company, Legacy Investors Group, Inc. He posed as a wealthy investor worth $470 million, promising monthly returns of 5-6% through venture capital, private equity, and real estate investments. Instead, prosecutors say he spent the money on casino gambling and luxury vehicles, including a $344,000 armored car.

The fraud charges come while Ruinard awaits trial for the June 2023 murder of Parker League, an 18-year-old whose body was found dismembered, stabbed, and burned in Arizona's Tonto National Forest. Police discovered League's blood and DNA in Ruinard's car after the suspect used the victim's bank cards following his death.

Ruinard, the former owner of Pastiche Modern Eatery in Tuscon, faces 19 counts of wire fraud and transactional money laundering in the latest indictment. His criminal history includes armed robbery, theft, making a bomb threat, and animal cruelty. The restaurant closed after employees quit due to bounced paychecks, followed by a devastating fire.

The suspect was initially charged with drug possession, weapon possession, theft, murder, and concealment of a body. These charges were later dismissed and replaced by federal murder and concealment charges from a grand jury in March, now accompanied by the additional fraud indictment.

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