By James McNair
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Facing 79 criminal charges ranging from fraud to income tax evasion, former investment peddler George Fiorini is scheduled to appear in federal court Monday to enter into a plea agreement with authorities who have been chasing him for eight years.

Details of the deal were not available Thursday, but an order issued by Senior U.S. District Judge Herman Weber states that the Fiorini case is "set for plea" at 10:30 a.m. Monday. Fiorini, of Miami Township in Hamilton County, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment May 15.

Fiorini was a high-flying investment promoter in the middle to late 1990s. Hiring the late entertainer Bob Braun as his pitchman and running ads aimed at senior citizens, Fiorini touted the virtues of his so-called 10 Percent Income Plus Plan.

The program consisted mainly of unsecured promissory notes issued by several companies, including a medical waste disposal company called Sanitec and a Fiorini-created entity called IGW Trust, which stood for In God We Trust. Once people expressed an interest, Fiorini went to their homes in a chauffeur-driven limousine and often said a prayer before leaving with a signed contract and a check.

Although Fiorini was part of an operation that collected about $15 million from investors, the government's case zeroed in on the sale of $1.4 million in notes to 33 people. A 79-count indictment said the notes were fraudulent and that Fiorini engaged in money laundering. On top of that, it said he shorted the government more than $2 million in personal income taxes.

Fiorini's lawyer, federal public defender Kelly Johnson, said it was not appropriate to comment before a formal plea agreement is signed. A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office would not elaborate on Monday's hearing.

"We plan on attending the hearing at 10:30, but we can't discuss it prior to our appearance," spokesman Fred Alverson said. "There's no further public information at this time."

Fiorini had been scheduled to go on trial Oct. 21. If convicted on all 79 counts, he faced a maximum of 731 years in prison and a fine of up to $19.8 million. The U.S. Marshal's Service has sold most of Fiorini's exotic automobiles through Internet auctions and set aside the proceeds for distribution to 10 Percent Income Plus Plan investors.

Most investors interviewed by the Enquirer said they thought that Fiorini should receive stiff sanctions. But one person owed $35,000 by Fiorini, Doris Ring of Madeira, said he should be allowed to work and pay back his victims. During his court appearance in May, Fiorini said he was selling coral calcium, an unregulated nutritional supplement advertised on TV infomercials and the Internet.

"He's been working his little heart out trying to get people paid back," Ring said. "He's helped me. I say leave him alone and let him work to pay the people back. It's not going to do any good to put him in jail."

Ring said Fiorini gave her a 2003 Buick Century several months ago. She said the title is in her name and that she isn't responsible for any payments.

E-mail jmcnair@enquirer.com