He promised safe returns. What his investors got instead was a vanishing act. Christopher W. Burns, a former financial advisor turned fugitive, is wanted by the FBI for allegedly running a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme disguised as a “peer-to-peer lending program.” According to federal prosecutors, Burns defrauded dozens of clients—friends, retirees, and longtime investors—out of more than $10 million, using their money to fund his luxury lifestyle and pay off earlier victims.

Indicted on sixteen counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering, Burns disappeared in 2020—just one day before he was due to surrender documents to the SEC. His abandoned SUV was found near the Georgia border, filled with personal belongings. He hasn’t been seen since.

This is Fugitive Files. Let’s get into it.