15 MARCH 16-22, 2023 westword.com WESTWORD | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | the possibility that people might think of him as a scammer; that fl ew in the face of how he wanted the world to see him. In the military, one of his jobs was as a sniper. “And people always think it’s cool, like you shoot somebody in the face,” he noted. “Like, nope. Actually, most of the time we’re doing overwatch, protecting. Protecting ground troops. I still live that way.” It was in the military that Lobins fi rst got into investing on behalf of other peo- ple, he said. He recalled being in a tent in Afghanistan and helping fellow soldiers use sites like ShareBuilder to invest small amounts: “You put up $20 a month in the S&P 500, let wealth build, dollar/cost average. Like, I’ve always tried to make other people better.” He still had an urge to serve people and protect them. That’s how he character- ized his investment funds, as a way to aid people like Stoots by helping them earn more and provide security. But he was no longer doing investment fund work for people, because all of his accounts had been frozen and he was cut off from his bank accounts and credit cards. Why hadn’t he responded to legal actions? He pleased ignorance. “I didn’t know somebody tried to sue me. I didn’t know there was a lawsuit. I just found out that I owe $500,000 now,” he said of the civil lawsuit Stoots vs. Lobins fi led in Denver District Court in December 2020. “Nothing came by mail, by phone.” Asked about the record showing that he was offi cially served, he then acknowledged, “Actually, I did get served. Yes. And then I was waiting for a court date. Which never came.” He claimed that he was similarly oblivi- ous to the investigation by the Colorado Division of Securities. He knew that a com- plaint had been fi led, but “I was told it was dismissed,” he said. In fact, investigators had concluded the case warranted referral to the Denver DA’s offi ce in November 2021. Even the fact that there was an arrest warrant in his name was a huge surprise, he said: “They could have mailed it. They could have handed it to me. I would have turned myself in had I known about it. No, no, sir. I had no idea. I got blindsided.” But there was one bright spot. “It turns out I didn’t have cancer,” he said. That was just the result of a big “confusion” over treatment for a condition he described as an undiagnosed “autoimmune issue.” Lobins has a court date on March 16, when he is scheduled to be formally charged. “Which is big. That’s huge,” he said. Katie and Stoots wonder if he will show up. They wonder why the judge let Lobins out at all when he could be locked up for a long time. “That’s 48 years in prison,” Lobins ac- knowledged. “So, yeah, that’s not where I’m trying to end up. And if I do? Well, sure. Maybe I made mistakes. Maybe I fucked up. You know, we’ll see if we get that far. Either things get dismissed, or a jury tries my fate. “And after that, like, yeah, man, I’ll be able to talk about what happens when your friends turn against you.” Email the author at [email protected]. Deceit Street continued from page 14 PARK HILL SUPERMARKET High Quality! Huge Variety! Wholesale Prices! Fresh fruit, vegetables, meat & seafood 3770 E 40TH AVE. DENVER, CO 80205 Tel: 303-823-3088 EVERY DAY 9AM-6PM ®
