GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) – A federal judge shuts down a request from a former De Pere man who wanted parts of his case reexamined.
Ron Van Den Heuvel, who is now in his early 70s and living in Georgia, sent the letter to the federal court in Green Bay late last month. He was convicted of federal fraud in 2018, after pleading guilty.
Authorities said he defrauded investors of more than $9 million, including more than $1 million from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, after promoting plans for a business called Green Box, which he said would turn solid waste into energy.
Van Den Heuvel asked the judge to address several issues, but the judge decided there were previous opportunities to argue them.
Van Den Heuvel was initially sentenced to seven and a half years in federal prison.
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THE BHI TRUST PONZI SCHEME (SOUTH AFRICA)
Date: Ongoing updates through February 2026 Perpetrator: Craig Warriner (Principal), with alleged co-conspirators
Case Description: The BHI Trust scandal remains one of South Africa’s most devastating financial crimes, involving the loss of between R1.9 billion and R3 billion. Craig Warriner, the “genius trader” behind the trust, turned himself in during late 2023, but the legal and recovery battles reached a fever pitch in 2025 and 2026. Warriner operated the trust as a textbook Ponzi scheme, utilizing “Old Boy” networks and high-profile brokers to lure in pensioners and high-net-worth individuals with promises of 20% annual returns.
In early 2025, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) faced heavy criticism for “provisionally withdrawing” charges against alleged co-conspirators Michael Haldane and Sona Pillay. However, civil recovery efforts by joint trustees have continued into 2026, aiming to claw back hundreds of millions in “fictitious profits” from early investors to redistribute to those who lost everything. The case is a masterclass in the failure of fiduciary duty; the FSCA eventually banned several advisors for up to 30 years for peddling the unlicensed scheme despite clear red flags, such as the lack of a website, the absence of regulated financial reports, and a fee structure that was triple the industry average.
Link to Original: Moneyweb – BHI Trust Scandal Deep Dive