Boston Man Accused Of Posing As Member Of Wealthy Shipping Family, Defrauding Investors

A Boston man posed as a member of a wealthy Greek shipping family and defrauded investors out of more than $300,000, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said in a complaint filed in Boston federal court Thursday.

The agency said Vassilios Trikantzopoulos has claimed to be the money manager overseeing more than $100 million of his family's assets since at least 2015.

Trikantzopoulos promised investors hefty profits if they contributed to his international real estate ventures or he'd return their money in full, the SEC said.

Instead, Trikantzopoulos diverted tens of thousands of dollars for rent and other personal expenses, and failed to refund when his ventures didn't pan out, the agency said.

The SEC said Trikantzopoulos' Boston-based businesses, Navis Ventures, also had no substantial assets or operations.

The federal court case doesn't list an attorney for Trikantzopoulos or his company, which is also not listed on Massachusetts' corporations database. The SEC didn't respond to an email seeking more information.