Tax startup CEO allegedly faked CPA credentials and company revenue to raise $13.3 million

Federal agents arrested the former head of a Los Angeles tax compliance startup in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as she was trying to board a luxury cruise ship. She has been charged with defrauding venture capital funds of more than $13 million (£10 million). Shiloh Luckey, 42, also known as Shiloh Johnson, was arrested on Sunday and later released on bond by a federal court in Florida, according to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. Federal prosecutors allege that Luckey tricked investors into putting money into her now-defunct company, ComplYant App Inc, by falsely claiming she was a licensed certified public accountant (CPA) and making up the company’s recurring revenue figures. Prosecutors say that instead of building a genuine technology business, Luckey used investor money to fund an expensive lifestyle, including an Inglewood property, a Tesla and a luxury wedding on the Caribbean island of Anguilla.Arrest at the cruise terminalAccording to details released by the US Department of Justice, a federal grand jury in Los Angeles returned a 15-count indictment against Luckey on September 1. The charges include nine counts...