Former Investview CEO Joseph Cammarata was caught trying to flee the US.

Consequently Cammarata has had his bond revoked and is back in prison.

Following his arrest last November, the DOJ pushed for Cammarata (right) to be detained pending trial.

At Cammarata’s initial appearance before a Judge on November 3rd, the DOJ argued Cammarata had access to

significant wealth had amassed, both inside and outside the United States.

He owns an island in the Bahamas. And he had spoken with a co-conspirator in the past about fleeing to the Bahamas if they were ever caught.

He also traveled regularly to Colombia, where he has business interests and a girlfriend.

Moreover, he had access to private planes and yachts.

This was taken into consideration but Cammarata was nonetheless released on bail on December 29th.

As part of his release conditions, Cammarata had to surrender his passport and travel documents. He agreed not to obtain a new passport or travel documents.

As discovered by the DOJ, on February 9th, Cammarata booked “one way travel from JFK Airport in New York to Bogotá, Colombia, on February 22, 2022.”

Sometime prior to February 21st, the DOJ filed a sealed ex parte motion seeking to revoke Cammarata’s bail and issue an arrest warrant.

On February 21st an arrest warrant was issued. Perhaps realizing he was screwed, Cammarata did not board his booked flight.

February 22nd came and went. On February 23rd Cammarata turned himself in to the FBI.

That same day a detention hearing was held. At the hearing Cammarata claimed he’d booked the flight in error.

Cammarata did not deny that he had made the reservation or that it was for one-way travel to Bogotá, Columbia.

Rather, Cammarata contended that he had made the reservation in his name by mistake when he was attempting to make a reservation for his girlfriend, JVCB, a citizen of Colombia.

He claimed that he only realized his mistake on February 20, 2022, when he got an e-mail from Delta Airlines reminding him to check in.

He claimed that he then made a reservation in the name of JVCB to depart on February 23, 2022.

The DOJ contends Cammarata’s story was baloney.

Cammarata contends that he made the reservation in his own name by mistake because the airline’s automated reservation system filled in his name when he was making his girlfriend’s reservation.

As an initial matter, even if the identifier fields on the Delta Airlines website were prepopulated with Cammarata’s own information, any seasoned traveler like Cammarata would know that the airline requires the name of the actual passenger when making a reservation.

Furthermore Cammarata’s girlfriend (identified as JCVB), didn’t board the booked flight.

Cammarata booked another flight on February 27th, which his girlfriend also didn’t board.

Instead, she eventually left the country on a different airline on the morning of February 27, 2022.

The DOJ put forth this as evidence Cammarata’s booked tickets with Delta were obviously not for his girlfriend.

When Cammarata made the reservation in his own name on February 9, 2022, he was either planning to travel himself (and later had second thoughts) or he was testing the system to see if authorities would detect that he had made a reservation.

The purchase of a second ticket that JVCB herself ignored simply provided him with an implausible explanation if he were caught.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, an investigation into Cammarata’s girlfriend revealed she was in the US as an illegal alien.

JVCB is the defendant’s longstanding romantic interest and … he is fully aware that she has no legal right to enter the United States.

He has attempted unsuccessfully to obtain a visa for JCVB in the past and, when that attempt has failed, he has brought her into the United States other than at a lawful port of entry.

On at least two occasions prior to his indictment, the defendant smuggled JCVB to the United States by boat from the Bahamas.

After Cammarata was released on December 27th, his girlfriend entered the US.

There is no record of her legally entering the United States, and she has no visa or other legal right to enter.

While in the United States, she was staying at Cammarata’s residence in Staten Island, New York. And the defendant knew that JCVB still had no legal right to enter the United States.

Cammarata asserts his girlfriend traveled to the US without his knowledge or assistance.

On November 3, while en route to the United States from Colombia, the defendant learned that there was an arrest warrant for him. In a WhatsApp conversation from the plane, Cammarata told JCVB about his pending arrest.

JCVB responded that she was upset that she did not have a visa and could not be there for Cammarata.

Based on the above communication, submitted as evidence, the DOJ contends Cammarata’s excuse “strains credibility”.

At a March 10th detention hearing, the court found

there is probable cause to believe that the defendant, Joseph Cammarata, has committed a federal crime while on release, that is, alien smuggling.

There is clear and convincing evidence that the defendant has violated the conditions of release.

There is a preponderance of evidence that the defendant is unlikely to abide by any condition or combination of conditions of release.

Cammarata’s bail was revoked and he was sent back to prison.

Cammarata is currently being held at FDC Philadelphia. He is scheduled to face trial on October 17th.

 

Update 30th March 2022 – Cammarata has filed an appeal against the March 10th order sending him back to prison.

The appeal is playing out in the Third Circuit. We’ll continue to monitor the docket for updates.

 

Update 14th April 2022 – Cammarata’s bail appeal was denied by the Third Circuit on April 5th.

As a result Cammarata will remain in custody pending trial.

 

Update 8th November 2022 – Joseph Cammarata was found guilty on eight superseding indictment count on October 27th.