Lee’s Summit Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Millions of Dollars from Investors Through Ponzi Scheme

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Lee's Summit, Mo. man pleaded guilty in federal court today for operating an ongoing investment scheme that defrauded millions of dollars from victims.

Trevor Uhls, 29, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Stephen R. Bough to one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. This is one of many federal fraud cases pursued under the leadership of President Donald Trump and through the establishment of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.

According to court documents, Uhls operated a Ponzi scheme that fraudulently obtained more than $3.8 million from at least 60 individual investors through false and misleading representations. Investor funds were misappropriated for Uhls' personal benefit.

An indictment was returned on Aug. 26, 2026, charging the defendant with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. The indictment alleges that on or about June 12, 2025, Uhls text messaged an Independence, Mo., investor claiming the investor could earn 8.5% interest by pooling his money with others for a storage unit investment. The investor wired money to Uhls' checking account. According to the complaint, the storage unit investment Uhls offered the victim was part of a fraudulent scheme and Uhls made false statements to solicit funds to further the scheme. A review of Uhls' financial records found no evidence he invested the victim's money in storage units, according to the complaint.

Under federal statutes, Uhls is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole for the wire fraud charge, up to three years supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. For the money laundering charge, Uhls is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole, three years supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dave Ketchmark. It was investigated by Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations.

National Fraud Enforcement Division

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division ("Fraud Division"). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department's work to combat fraud supports President Trump's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.