SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake man who spent several years in the Utah State Prison for a series of fraud schemes is back behind bars on an alleged parole violation linked to an investigation into a new fraud scheme involving a senior fair.
Gary Carl Fornia, 57, was booked back into the state prison on Sept. 8 on a parole violation. The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole issued an arrest warrant that same day for allegedly violating several conditions of his parole, including not properly disclosing his income to his parole officer, and having unauthorized access or control of "assets/funds/property or financial information of another person."
A parole violation hearing is scheduled for Oct. 18.
Fornia was the marketing manager for My Senior Media LLC, according to the group's website.
Fornia and My Senior Media were going to hold a Senior Expo at Hogle Zoo on June 20, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in 3rd District Court. Fornia advertised that sponsors could purchase booths at the Expo for $2,750 each. He claimed at one point that he had "almost all 200 booths filled and it was going on as planned," the affidavit states.
But two days before the event the expo was canceled, allegedly due to record-breaking heat. A spokesman for Hogle Zoo on Wednesday said that while weather was a concern, the zoo had bigger concerns about payments because Fornia had allegedly missed several deadlines.
Fornia told all of the Senior Expo sponsors that the event had been moved to July 25 at the Living Planet Aquarium, the warrant states.
But the aquarium never agreed to host the expo, according to police.
"(Aquarium sales director Jared) Springer declined, and noticed a few days later that Mr. Fornia had listed the event at the aquarium on websites and posters anyway. They contacted Mr. Fornia by e-mail and phone explaining they have never given him permission to use their name and trademark," the affidavit says.
On July 23, investigators say Fornia once again informed sponsors that the Senior Expo was postponed and was being rescheduled for Aug. 25-26 at the Salt Lake Community College Larry H. Miller campus in Sandy. Fornia advertised that the rescheduled event "also includes discount tickets and free bus rides from the Salt Lake Community College to the Living Planet Aquarium during this time period," according to the warrant. "The advertisement also stated all seniors get in free to the aquarium."
Aquarium officials told investigators that they never agreed to that and employees had to post signs informing patrons that there were no free bus rides or admission.
On Aug. 25, several of the sponsors arrived at the expo to set up their booths "only to be told by the college it was again canceled," the warrant states.
Unified police are also investigating a claim that Fornia defrauded Kal Medical by allegedly selling it a booth and a radio package for the expo. He was paid more than $1,700, but the services were never provided, according to the warrant.
More than 20 companies claim they signed contracts by never received what was promised, the affidavit states. Some of those companies and organizations include Ameritech College, Blu Habor Senior Living, Tuacahn Amphitheatre, WMI Mutual Insurance, NeuroBolic Heath Center, McDougal Funeral Home, Larkin Mortuary and Providential Funeral Home.
In 2000, Fornia was charged with 16 counts of communications fraud and racketeering and ultimately pleaded guilty to three of the charges. He was accused of duping people into buying fake advertising space in rural telephone directories.
Fornia collected advertising money totaling $827,295 from 7,547 companies in all 50 states, according to charging documents. But while he solicited nationwide, his companies only printed four rural telephone directories that were distributed solely in Utah.
Fornia was sentenced to a term of one to 15 years in prison in 2002.
In 2007, he was convicted of 11 counts of communications fraud and engaging in a pattern of unlawful activity and was sentenced to one to 15 years in prison. In that scheme, Fornia convinced construction and real estate companies to pay him to place ads prominently on Google. But many of those ads never got online prominent placements because Google was not paid.
Fornia has violated parole four times between 2006 and 2017. He was most recently paroled in June of 2016 before being returned to prison last month.
As of Wednesday, no formal criminal charges have been filed against Fornia. His last attorney of record did not immediately return a phone call for comment.
Unified police said if other business owners believe they are victims, they should contact them at 801-743-7000.