Rogers Con Man Appeals Federal Fraud Sentence

FAYETTEVILLE -- Rogers con man Jim Bolt has appealed the sentence he was handed after pleading guilty to federal wire and mail fraud charges.

Jim Bolt, 61, of Rogers pleaded guilty in January to one count of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud and one count of money laundering in a plea bargain with prosecutors. The other charges in the 14-count indictment were dismissed as part of the plea bargain.

Bolt was sentenced in late June to more than eight years in federal prison, fined $50,000 and ordered to pay more than $2.5 million in restitution to the victims of at least five scams using forged documents to obtain unclaimed property and cash under the guise of a purported cancer treatment center.

U.S. District Judge Tim Brooks made a rare upward departure from federal sentencing guidelines, which suggested about six years for the charges, because of Bolt's criminal record and propensity to re-offend.

Bolt is appealing the upward departure. At sentencing, Bolt argued prior convictions in Oklahoma shouldn't have been used as a basis for the judge's sentencing departure.

Brooks cited a mid-1980s case in which Bolt was convicted in Tulsa, Okla., of a scam almost identical to the latest.

Robert Cessario, an FBI agent who investigated the case, said Bolt had five or six larger scams and 20 to 30 smaller ones going when he was arrested. About $100,000 was never accounted for.

The FBI launched an investigation in August 2012 into suspicious activity involving Situs Cancer Research Center, Bolt's purported alternative cancer treatment clinic in Rogers.

Prosecutors accused Bolt of committing mail and wire fraud by preparing and sending fraudulent documents containing forged signatures and false authentication features to various entities and individuals to persuade them to send him unclaimed property, money and other assets from defunct companies and individuals with no next of kin.

The government contends Bolt took more than $2.5 million from Community Medical Group in California and at least four other companies.

In his plea, Bolt agreed to forfeit three properties in Rogers prosecutors said were bought with money derived from mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. Bolt also agreed to help identify assets transferred to third parties.

There's also a civil forfeiture action against two mobile medical units, a box truck, an Airstream recreational vehicle, three SUVs, a Toyota pickup, four airplanes, $8,900 cash, $111,971 from a bank account and other items.