Bui v. Nguyen was filed in California Superior Court on December 30, 2021, claiming relief for civil damages. Specifically, the complaint alleges claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, promissory fraud, constructive fraud, fraudulent concealment, and conversion.
Plaintiffs are three individuals who invested funds with Defendants The Church for the Healthy Self a/k/a CHS Trust (“Defendant Church”), its pastor Kent Whitney (“Whitney”), other individuals touting the alleged scheme, and various television stations.
Defendants Church and Whitney allegedly solicited investments through false representations, assuring potential investors a 12% return on investments that were guaranteed and insured by the FDIC and SIPC. Defendant Church and its affiliates allegedly targeted the Vietnamese community and advertised the investment opportunity on Vietnamese television stations, which were allegedly aware that the investment opportunity was, in fact, a Ponzi scheme. Plaintiffs further allege that Whitney concealed a prior felony conviction for fraudulent financial transactions, and if he had disclosed it, Plaintiffs would never have invested.
Based on the assurances in Defendant Church’s trust agreement, as well as the endorsements from several other named Defendants, Plaintiffs invested $250,000 collectively, though nowhere is it alleged that any Plaintiff received any interest payment. Plaintiffs seek return of their principal in addition to punitive damages, prejudgment interest, and attorneys’ fees.