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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 21, 2005 Medford scam dealer arrested in Idaho By CHRIS CONRAD Mail Tribune A former Medford financier who bilked hundreds of Jackson County investors out of some $4 million in the early 1980s was arrested earlier this month in Garden City, Idaho, on charges of theft and forgery. Steven Dearl Cox, 55, was lodged in the Ada County Jail on charges of grand theft, forgery, computer crime and a parole violation. Details surrounding his alleged crimes in Idaho were not made available by Garden City police Thursday. He was held on $500,000 bail, the Ada County sheriff’s department said. Cox, who is jailed in Boise under the last name of Cline, headed S.D. Cox Investments Inc. — which coaxed several unsuspecting investors in the early 1980s into allowing him to invest millions in unregistered securities that he promised would yield 17 to 18 percent returns. In the 1980s, such high returns were unheard of; as was Cox’s guarantee securities equal to the day’s leading savings banks. Little did investors know that they had been conned into a Ponzi scheme, in which early investors were paid earnings with money drawn from new investors not true company earnings, officials said. On Sept. 27, 1984, employees of S.D. Cox Investments Inc. reported to an empty office for work. Cox, along with his partner Eugene "Bud" Richmond, had cleaned out the company safe and emptied files. Days later, Jackson County authorities issued arrest warrants for Cox and Richmond. Advertisement In July 1985 Richmond surrendered to authorities. He pleaded guilty to a racketeering charge and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was paroled less than three years later. Cox remained a fugitive for four years. During that time he moved to Boise under the name Robert Bradley Davis. The police’s big break came on Nov. 17, 1988, when Cox’s story was featured on an episode NBC’s "Unsolved Mysteries." Cox fled Idaho the day the show aired. Two rangers found him days later at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada. He was extridited to Jackson County and convicted of racketeering and securities fraud. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison; but, like his partner, he only served less than three years in prison. Cox was ordered to pay $3.9 million in restitution for his crimes. Reach reporter Chris Conrad at 776-4459, or e-mail Medford scam dealer arrested in Idaho ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Investments & Loans Advertisement s