On July 2, 2018, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission filed a civil enforcement action against TradeAnEdge and Bruce Harris Landgarten.
In the CFTC complaint, Harris Landgarten maintained a Futures trading educational business that purported to offer a futures trading educational service as well as an unadvertised and unregistered commodity trading pool.
The scheme was simple. Harris would entice visitors to his futures trading educational website, develop a relationship with visitors, portray himself as a successful futures trader, and then after he properly ‘groomed’ the target, he would entice the target into investing their money into Bruce’s private trading account.
The CFTC was not impressed. In fact, they discovered that Harris had no track record of ever trading successfully. His claims of having developed a super-secret and magical trading indicator was nothing more than the egotistical delusions of a common con artist.
Apparently, after victims sent Harris their hard earned monies, he would then go on shopping sprees, pay his rent, pay himself a monthly salary, and indulge in my personal favorite: unlimited shrimp cocktail.
In fact, this fraud was so egregious that the CFTC referred their complaint to the US Attorney located in the Eastern District of New York.
An FBI investigation immediately ensued.
A rude awakening
On July 2, the FBI gave Harris a wonderful welcome to his favorite holiday week: the 4th of July.
Sometime in the morning hours of July 2, the FBI kicked in the door of Harris and shackled him like a stuffed pig at a Hawaiian wedding.
But Harris didn’t want to go quietly. He was busy moderating his live trading room when the trading room participants began to hear screaming and yelling in the background. Apparently, as they sat through the live screen share, they witnessed Bruce being handcuffed. A true ‘what-the-fuck’ moment in the online trading world.
Harris is a slight man. But at his advanced age of 66, he still maintains a healthy physique. Readers describe him as a “rascal” or a “wiry dog” which explains the FBI’s difficulties in getting Harris hogtied and ready for transport to the local jail.
Regardless, the FBI succeeded in their task and were able to deposit Harris in an environment where he could cause no more financial harm to others.
The TradingSchools.Org connection
As readers are probably already aware, TradingSchools.Org has interviewed and written about nearly every single player in the wild and whacky world of retail investment education.
I interviewed Harris back in the summer of 2016. Someone had reached out to me and registered a gripe that Harris had stolen their money. I receive at least 3 similar complaints each week. Most are competing trading educators trying to rile me up to write a nasty review about a competitor within their niche. They portray themselves as a hapless victim that needs help. It’s cute.
Anyway, I got a ‘garden variety’ complaint about Harris and decided to conduct an interview.
This interview was a low priority. TradeAnEdge was a relatively new website, and they had very little web traffic. Still, I pushed forward and reached out to Harris.
To my delightful surprise, Harris contacted me immediately with such sweet words for me. He said that he was a “big fan” of TradingSchools.Org and that he appreciated that I was attempting to clean up the industry. In other words, he totally stroked my ego.
Additionally, and I thought this sort of odd…he included a personal picture.
Look at this guy. Is this the most pathetically disarming image that you have ever witnessed? He looks like the volunteer at the local library. Who wouldn’t trust this guy? Is this the image of a con artist?
Look, as a former professional con artist myself…I should not be so easily fooled. But this is exactly what happened. Bruce played me like a pedophile priest plays an innocent choir boy.
In fact, when I discovered that Bruce had been arrested by the FBI, I immediately felt violated and dirty. The dude flat finger-banged me and I didn’t find out till long after the drugs wore off.
The most shameful and embarrassing part is that I actually enjoyed being molested by this character. He stroked my ego during the interview. He made the interview all about me. Ran his filthy fingers through my innocent hair and sweetly whispered, “oh TradingSchools, you are doing so much good in the world, you have turned your life around, your story is an inspiration, etc.”
Just wow. The guy totally played me. Instead of me interviewing him, he interviewed me. His plan was to divert away from my tough questions and puff up my quickly swelling ego. It worked. I didn’t publish an article. I thought to myself, “what a sweet old guy.”
What a fool I was. I got swindled by Mr. Rodgers. Taken for a trip through his wonderful neighborhood. He straight up molested my ego.
Well, that’s it for today. Thanks for reading. And here is a Mr. Rodgers video that finishes this review with perfection.
I was part of his trading room for under a year. He seemed like a nice guy. I didn’t really get a lot out of being part of it so at the beginning of 2017 I cancelled my membership. Right after he asked me if I was interested in investing in his “idea”. I politely declined and that was the end of that. Fast forward over a year later, I’m shocked to read this story
Bruce is a slick operator. A really good BS artist. I can usually spot these characters quickly, but he got me.
He will probably get a year in Fed camp. That’s my guess.
“The most shameful and embarrassing part is that I actually enjoyed being molested by this character. He stroked my ego during the interview”
Oh yea! This is what ego can do. hard to escape
such an amazing article dear
keep sharing 🙂
Is it just me or is the CFTC on a tear lately? Never remember so many busts in a short period of time…Loving it! I actually got a questionnaire from them asking me about my time in GLOBAL TRADE ROOM
Yes. They have definitely been more active. It seems to come in spurts.
Regarding Global Trade Room, it looks like Simon is in big trouble.
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Oh, Chris Terry. All you ever wanted to know about iMarketsLive can be found here…
https://www.tradingschools.org/reviews/fx-signals-live/
Ran his filthy fingers through my innocent hair ,..priceless.
good work dear, keep it up