LAWRENCE – (January 12, 2018) – A former Douglas County man today pleaded guilty to one felony count of securities fraud, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said.
James R. Romanek, 66, pleaded guilty to the charge, which stemmed from incidents that occurred in Douglas County between August 1999 and January 2000. The loss to investors was more than $15,000. Douglas County District Court Judge Paula B. Martin accepted the plea.Sentencing has been scheduled for February 23 at 2p.m.
The case was investigated by the Office of the Kansas Securities Commissioner which filed criminal charges in 2004. The defendant’s whereabouts were unknown until February 2017 when the prosecution resumed. The Securities Commissioner transferred prosecution of the case to the attorney general’s office after a new law took effect last year consolidating the state’s financial crimes prosecution authority within the attorney general’s office. Deputy Attorney General Steven Karrer and Assistant Attorney General Stacy Edwards of Schmidt’s office are prosecuting the case.