Utah Jury Convicts Business Owners of Fraud after Victims Were Scammed More than $30M

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - After a five-week trial, a federal jury in Salt Lake City returned a guilty verdict against multiple defendants for their participation in a nationwide scheme to defraud victims out of more than $30,000,000 by inducing them to invest in Noah's Event Centers and promising impressive long-term financial returns. The defendants, Christopher J. Ashby, 52, Jordan S. Nelson, 45, both of Salt Lake County, Utah; and Scott W. Beynon, 49, of Davis County, Utah, were each found guilty on all charged counts: 17 counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Three other codefendants pleaded guilty as well. The founder of Noah's, William J. Bowser, 63, of St. George, Utah, pleaded guilty in the middle of trial on April 16, 2026, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Prior to trial, John D. Hamrick, 67, of Franconia, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty on January 21, 2026, to three counts of wire fraud; and Scott L. Rutherford, 54, of Utah County, Utah, pleaded guilty on June 9, 2025, to wire fraud.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, the defendants conspired and engaged in a nationwide scheme to defraud investors. The victims were defrauded out of more than $30,000,000 after being persuaded by the defendants to invest in Noah's Event Centers as part of 1031 exchanges. Despite defendants' promises that the investments were "safe" and "secure" and that Noah's was a reliable corporate partner, Noah's Event Centers were, collectively, an unprofitable enterprise sustained only through infusions of new investor funds. Five promised buildings were never constructed, as new investor funds were diverted elsewhere. Evidence presented at trial demonstrated that the defendants misrepresented important information regarding Noah's financial health and falsely promised to safeguard victims' money during construction.

Marketing materials displayed at trial depicted luxurious Noah's event spaces and boasted of Noah's "demonstrated . . . ability to examine and modify their business to achieve maximum profitability." However, evidence at trial demonstrated that the defendants were aware that Noah's was not profitable and was facing dire financial straits. According to the evidence, investors were left with empty, undeveloped lots rather than the promised venues, while the defendants received millions of dollars for their role in the scheme.

At trial, prosecutors showed satellite images of the undeveloped event centers, including unbuilt sites in Dublin, Ohio, Independence, Ohio, Toledo, Ohio, Jacksonville, Florida, and Carmel, Indiana.

The defendants are expected to be sentenced before a U.S. District Court Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City in the coming months.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah thanked federal law enforcement partners for their work on the case and emphasized that her Office is "committed to ensuring justice for victims of complex financial crimes."

The case is being investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).

Assistant United States Attorneys Cy C. Castle, Stephen P. Dent, Luisa Gough, and Bryant L. Watson of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.