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The federal Securities and Exchange Commission has accused a former Worcester restaurateur of taking part in a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors out of more than $33 million.
T. Gary Hawkesworth, 49, of Rancho Mirage, Calif., formerly of Paxton, was named as a defendant in an emergency action the SEC filed Feb. 25 in federal court alleging violations of federal securities laws.
At the SEC's request, a federal judge in Riverside, Calif. froze the assets of three Southern California investment firms, including one co-managed by Mr. Hawkesworth, after the companies were accused of being part of a scheme that bilked at least 247 investors in the United States and Mexico out of $33.5 million.
Mr. Hawkesworth and his wife, Gloria A. (Christo) Hawkesworth, were part-owners of Christo's Restaurant at 97 Stafford St. in Worcester for many years. The Christo and Hawkesworth families sold the restaurant in 2001, and Mr. Hawkesworth and his wife moved from Paxton to...