Just another BYU, RM, scamming scumbag. His dad is Area Authority and former BYU Prof Richard N. Holzapfel. Daddy's position probably led to being released on 20K Bail and detain for only 90 minutes. Pathetic.

https://www.deseret.com/utah/2021/10/6/22713486/provo-entrepreneur-who-appeared-on-shark-tank-charged-with-defrauding-woman-mission-belt-holzapfel

Fraud? in Utah County? With mormons?

Impossible! I won't hear it. It's almost like there's a systemic pattern of currying favor with well-known mormons to bilk OTHER easily manipulated mormons out of their money.

The article says "charged". Guilty could come after due process even for Mormons.

"Could" is the operative word here. Yeah, he "could" be found guilty, but in Utah County, his name has gravitas. Remember that judges, juries, police, solicitors, and the whole crowd are LDS. And rather than create an awkward situation of trying the son of a recipient of the second anointing, they might just dismiss it.

Moral guilt is not the same thing as criminal or judicial guilt. Lots of murderers are found innocent in court but are nonetheless guilty, and conversely many innocent people are unfairly found guilty.

I have no idea whether this man committed the crimes of which he is accused. But we aren't bound by the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt standard in our daily lives, which is good because we shouldn't be barred from questioning conclusions reached by an imperfect judicial system.

No problem with either opinion but comments such as "scamming scumbag" suggests already tried and found guilty.

Well, there are the official courts, and then there is the court of public opinion. ;) Having said that, this case looks rather obvious.

Let's just do away with a trial and send him straight to prison.

Would you be comfortable with O.J. Simpson as your next-door neighbor? After all, he was famously *acquitted* of his murder charge.

Way to miss my point.

Not at all. I don't have to use "innocent until proven guilty" as my standard because I can't use state power to enforce my decision. I'm not going to accept Simpson next door because as far as I'm concerned, he's guilty, no matter what the court said.

If others want to conclude this guy is guilty before trial and call him a scamming scumbag, fine. They aren't bound by the legal standard either.

Simpson would indeed be a lousy neighbor but at least he's better than Sideshow Bob.

"expensive luxury items like firearms and gun supplies"

As an aside, firearms and supplies are classified as luxury items?


Re what he is charged with doing, awful if true (which I don't doubt - they seem to have a lot of details and facts about the offences he is accused of).

I too hope the woman gets a house back, one that's suitable for her disabled son.

I note the Mission Belt company is quick to disavow him. I've never heard of it but it seems their product is popular.

Oh, I took "mission belt" literally. I thought it was something to do with Mormon missions. I visualized lots of pockets and pouches to hold stuff. Haha, my seriously-literal brain strikes again.

Sad. Sickening. Disgusting.

After reading that I don't know how there could be anything "second degree" about it.

Doesn't pre-meditated carry any weight?

In Utah, one's "pedigree" is a key factor in sentencing, charging fining, etc. This guy will get a slap on the wrist in Utah County.

They'll go easy on him. It's not like he stole a house from a vulnerable woman and her disabled child and spent the money and also scammed Larry King. He's a nice Mormon lad.

I don't doubt you are right. I've seen it many times in Utah over the years. Would love to know the outcome if you follow the case.

What a slimeball. I would like to know how his wife handles the adultery part. And doesn't his GA dad do anything about this? Naw. He's likely a willing participant, too. Would he get in trouble with the church? Also unlikely, because his dad probably has had the second endowment, and that would just make the Big Fifteen shrug off anything that he does,no matter how seedy.

I hope that the woman gets a good lawyer for a civil suit. I was wondering if her lawyer might go after the title company and the wife as well, since the wife was/is a partner in one of the business ventures which participated in the fraud. I hope that the woman gets every penny back and more.

He'll be okay as long as he paid tithing on his increase.

"Investigators believe Holzapfel meets women on dating apps and soon after tries to find out about their financial situation. He then hones in on women who are "vulnerable," such as women who recently lost a loved one and were left with insurance money, Christensen said."

Hone in on the vulnerable? Isn't that one of the things they teach missionaries to do?

Funny cause it is too true!

    I'm curious how she tricked the righteous priesthood holder into appearing to have defrauded her...

    I'd bet anything naked shoulders are involved...<harumph>

    That poor, poor man!

So, it's suggested that Utah / Utah county actually prosecutes white-collar, RM fraudsters ?!

I guess this is a good sign for honest people, at least remotely...

It's not for nothing that Utah is nicknamed the scam capitol of the world.

There are a couple of other fraudsters in the news lately.

Two days ago, Michael Joe Ricks of Bountiful, Utah, LDS, good family man, been on a mission, etc, was arrested on multiple felony drug and prostitution charges.

Then there's Paul Peterson, former missionary in the Marshall Islands and former Phoenix politician. Serving time in prison now for the adoption fraud schemes in Arizona, Utah, and Arkansas, involving women from the Marshall Islands.

These are the ones who got caught, and there are probably many more that you don't hear about.