According to a recent report from ABC News, actor Kiefer Sutherland was one of the victims of an alleged Ponzi scheme involving a cattle investment. Citing court papers, ABC said the star of Fox's 24 lost $869,000 in the deal.
Sutherland, along with others, fell victim to the alleged schemes of Michael Wayne Carr, a promoter and cattle manager who has been accused by California's San Joaquin County District Attorney's office of running the scheme.
Stephen Maier, a deputy district attorney with the office, said Maier claimed he could buy cows in Mexico and then sell them in the U.S. for large profits.
Maier said Sutherland's initial investment of almost $500,000 did return a substantial profit, though the second $869,000 amount he put into the alleged scheme in 2007 vanished.
"There was no money and no cattle," Maier told the news organization.
Of course, Hollywood stars aren't typically the people who would run into problems involving cattle, which are more commonly associated with losses felt by farmers and ranchers. However, recently announced disaster assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture should help producers who faced hardship due to the loss of animals.
