“I Left With Clothes on My Back” & Feds Took My Designer Bags — Girlfriend of Alleged Ponzi Schemer

“I Left With Clothes on My Back” & Feds Took My Designer Bags — Girlfriend of Alleged Ponzi Schemer

On May 15, GoLocal broke the story that federal agents raided the home of alleged Ponzi schemer Christopher Aubin and his girlfriend, Ashley Corcoran.

Aubin is a former U.S. Marine from Rhode Island who allegedly defrauded dozens of people out of millions of dollars.

Now, Corcoran is denying that she was a part of the scheme.

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As federal agents were raiding Aubin and Corcoran’s home, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was filing a complaint in federal court against Aubin, his companies, and Corcoran.

The SEC’s complaint alleges that, from at least April 2023 through December 2024, Aubin "deceived multiple investors – at least two of whom were Marine Corps veterans who had served with him."

As GoLocal has chronicled, Aubin and Corcoran appeared to live the good life. The two posted photos from vacations in Greece and on charter flights to social media. Aubin drove Lamborghinis, and one of his alleged victims said Aubin spent tens of thousands on custom suits. All of it, allegedly using other people’s money. 

Aubin and Corcoran were also named in a civil lawsuit in the Rhode Island courts. That suit was filed a year ago.

 

 

According to the SEC complaint against Aubin and Corcoran:

On information and belief, on or about February 7, 2024, Aubin spent about $66,805 from Anchor State’s bank accounts to purchase a BMW automobile. Aubin then gave that automobile to Corcoran for her personal use. Corcoran thus received a personal benefit to which she was not entitled.

On numerous occasions in 2023 and 2024, funds from Anchor State’s bank accounts were used to pay for luxury travel, including private jet transport, for Aubin and Corcoran. Corcoran thus received a personal benefit from these gifts of travel to which she was not entitled.

On April 23, 2024, Aubin transferred $20,000 from one of Anchor State’s bank accounts to his personal bank account and then, the same day, withdrew $15,000 from that personal account in the form of a bank check made payable to Corcoran’s mother with a notation on the check that it was “Re: Ashley E. Corcoran.”

The charges by the SEC include fraud and unjust enrichment.

 

Now, Corcoran Has a Lot to Say About Aubin, the Scheme, and Her Role

According to court documents filed by Corcoran, she claims she did not violate any laws, does not have “any ill-gotten gain” in her possession, and “did not engage in any fraud or deceit.”

“I had no reason to believe that Aubin’s success in his business was based on anything illegal, and I still do not know if he committed fraud,” Corcoran wrote in her response to the government.

But for months before federal agents raided Aubin and Corcoran’s home on May 15, GoLocal had published a series of stories chronicling claims by investors that Aubin had failed to return their monies and the profits they were promised.

In response to the SEC’s complaint, Corcoran filed with the court pro se; she is representing herself. Previously, Casby Harrison had confirmed to GoLocal that he was representing Corcoran in response to the SEC action. On May 20, Harrison wrote in an email to GoLocal, "Yes, I am representing Ashley Corcoran in both the state civil case and in the SEC case."

Harrison, a Providence lawyer, did not respond to GoLocal's question about Corcoran now filing pro se.

While Corcoran is representing herself, Aubin has tapped high-profile attorney Steve Frank of the global law firm Quinn Emanuel to respond to the SEC's complaint.

"Frank served for nearly 17 years as a federal prosecutor in New York and Boston, where he served in various leadership capacities, including as the longtime Chief of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts," according to his bio.

Aubin's attorney, Frank, highlights in his bio that he is “a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School" and that he "was only the third person in Harvard University history to be selected to deliver both the undergraduate and graduate orations at the university-wide Commencement ceremonies.”

GoLocal reached out to Frank on Wednesday evening, but he did not respond at the time of publication on Thursday morning.

 

 

First Allegations

In September of 2024, GoLocal unveiled the alleged scheme by Aubin that impacted dozens of individuals in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and across the country.

Over the past ten months, GoLocal has tracked down 20 alleged victims — some who live as far away as Arizona.

Patsy Sperduto, who was the first to alert GoLocal of Aubin’s activities, said in an interview in May after the government raided Aubin and Corcoran's home and the SEC filed charges, “I am grateful that law enforcement is taking action. I think all of us who have been impacted by this scheme hope there is justice.”

 

Corcoran Claims Aubin Sold the BMW That He Bought Her - Leaving Her Carless

“It is true that Aubin sold my car that I came into the relationship with and put the proceeds towards the purchase of a BMW for my personal use. But then he told me he put the BMW in the shop for repairs and I later found out, after the fact, that he had sold the BMW without my knowledge,” wrote Corcoran in her response to the SEC.

“I did not know that I was not entitled to accept gifts from Aubin because I did not know the gifts were paid from an illegal Ponzi scheme,” Corcoran added. 

 

"Ended Relationship: - Government Seized Designer Handbags

According to Corcoran’s filing, “I ended my relationship with Aubin on the day that the law enforcement officers raided the house that we lived in together. I left with the clothes on my back and moved into my parents' house because I could not afford my own apartment. Aubin sold my vehicle without my knowledge and a few other items without my knowledge.”

“Law enforcement seized all of the designer handbags, wallets, and glasses that were gifted to me by Aubin at the time of the raid,” Corcoran wrote.

Corcoran concluded in her response to the SEC's complaint, “I never made any statements to anyone in this case that I knew were false or misleading. I did not think it was a crime to accept gifts from my former boyfriend. If Aubin did what he is accused of, then I was also misled by Aubin. I am innocent of any criminal activity. I am asking that I be dismissed as a defendant/relief defendant.”

GoLocal reached out to Corcoran to ask additional clarifying questions, but she did not respond.