Bryant Edwin Sewall, a former executive of trading firms operating under the names Mediatrix Capital and Blue Isle Markets, has been sentenced to 23 years in prison. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced the sentence following Sewall's conviction on 14 counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud by a federal jury in May 2024.
Michael Shawn Stewart, another executive involved in the scheme, was also found guilty on the same charges and awaits sentencing. Both individuals misled investors with false claims about a foreign currency exchange trading program. They assured potential investors that Mediatrix had a successful history dating back to 2013 without losses, despite the company not existing until 2014 and experiencing numerous net losses.
The fraudulent activities included manipulating account statements to conceal substantial financial losses from investors while promising over $179 million but holding only $9.8 million in accounts—a discrepancy they called "the hole." Despite losing approximately $32 million in trades, Stewart and Sewall collected around $28 million in performance fees and converted investor funds into over $45 million in markup fees through their brokerage, Blue Isle. These funds were spent on personal luxuries such as real estate and cars.
Sewall is ordered to pay approximately $93 million in restitution. Acting United States Attorney for the District of Colorado Matt Kirsch remarked on the severity of Sewall's crimes: “This is a serious sentence for a serious crime.” FBI Denver Special Agent In Charge Mark Michalek highlighted the elaborate nature of the fraud scheme: "Mr. Sewall and his co-defendants orchestrated an elaborate foreign currency investment fraud scheme that caused extensive financial harm."
Michael Young, another partner involved with Mediatrix and Blue Isle, had previously pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the Securities and Exchange Commission. He received a sentence of one year and one day earlier this year.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Denver Field Office, with prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorneys Anna Edgar, Bryan Fields, and former AUSA Pegeen Rhyne. United States District Court Judge William J. Martinez presided over the case.