A Pella man was federally indicted on 24 charges related to ongoing fraud, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa. On Friday, Mark Alan Blankespoor, of Pella, was charged with twelve counts of mail fraud and twelve counts of wire fraud.

According to the Indictment, Blankespoor was a health coach and consultant in Pella. He represented to others he was involved in developing medically-oriented gyms and licensed the program to fitness clinics across the United States. From at least May 2013 through at January 2019, Blankespoor represented to investors they had an opportunity to make money by investing in the medically-oriented gym concept. At least 150 investors provided him with approximately $15 million in investment funds. The indictment alleges Blankespoor used the investors’ money for unauthorized purposes that were not for their benefit. Blankespoor used that money, unbeknownst to them, for his personal expenses and paying other investors, for losses to victims of over $6.5 million.

Blankespoor has a trial date of June 3, 2019, before United States District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger at the Des Moines Federal Courthouse. Mail and wire fraud are punishable by a maximum prison term of twenty years and a maximum fine of $250,000. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this matter.