Date: April 12, 2023 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov Denver — The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado announces that Jalon Torres, and Lisa Marie Ritter, both of Colorado Springs, have been indicted by a Federal Grand Jury as part of an alleged scheme to defraud student loan debtors. According to the allegations in the indictment, Torres was the registered agent for the Student Resolution Center, LLC, which was also known as the Student Resource Center (SRC). Beginning in and around June 2015, Torres devised a scheme to defraud student loan debtors by making false promises to induce them to make payments to his company. As part of the scheme, Torres and others he directed called victims and falsely promised to reduce or eliminate student loan debt for a certain number of payments to the SRC. Torres obtained authorization from victims to withdraw payments from their bank accounts, but then withdrew payments in excess of the amounts listed in each contract. SRC earned more than $1 million from hundreds of victims. The indictment further alleges that both defendants then used the proceeds for personal gain, including purchasing a residence and a luxury vehicle. Defendant Ritter made her initial appearance in Denver before United States Magistrate Judge James P. O'Hara on April 11, 2023. Defendant Torres was arrested in Florida and is awaiting further proceedings in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The matter was investigated by IRS-CI, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Education Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca Weber is handling the prosecution. The charges in the indictment are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
