Joseph Brunson, Tony Pough and Timothy McQueen each were indicted on 12 counts of money laundering and 10 counts of transporting checks

Joseph Brunson, Tony Pough and Timothy McQueen each were indicted on 12 counts of money laundering and 10 counts of transporting checks obtained by fraud.
The men who called themselves the "3 Hebrew Boys" previously had been indicted on 35 counts each of federal mail fraud. They still face those charges, as well as state securities fraud charges.Each of the new fraud charges is connected with checks allegedly sent to the men at their offices in Columbia from investors in locations as far away as Pontiac, Mich., according to the indictment. It said the checks ranged from $5,250 to $63,000 each and totaled nearly $200,000.On the money laundering counts, prosecutors list more than a dozen items — from a $180,000 luxury box at a sports arena to a $4.5 million private jet — that they say they men purchased with money from investors.A Sept. 3 arraignment has been scheduled on the new charges, which each carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Each of the mail fraud charges carries the same monetary fine and up to 20 years in prison.Prosecutors say the men, who named their investment plan the "3 Hebrew Boys" after a Bible tale about brothers who kept their faith in God even as they were thrown into a fiery furnace and survived, promised daily returns of up to 500 percent.Authorities said the trio focused on recruiting investors in churches and at military bases, adding some soldiers fighting in Iraq even sent the men checks as word of the plan spread.All told, prosecutors say the men lured at least 7,000 investors from two dozen states, taking $80 million along the way. The three had told people that the money would be invested in foreign currency markets, but investigators have said less than $40,000 was actually invested — and the rest allegedly spent on luxury items for the three defendants.The men, who are representing themselves at trial, and attorneys appointed to act as their legal advisers did not immediately return messages seeking comment on the new charges.
A court-appointed receiver has said he had collected more than $18 million in assets to return to investors if the men are found guilty.The men were in court for two separate hearings this week.On Monday, U.S. Magistrate Joseph McCrorey ordered Brunson to undergo a mental evaluation to see if he's competent to stand trial, at one point expressing frustration with Brunson's repeated statements that he was not a defendant and not subject to U.S. laws.Also Monday, U.S. District Judge Margaret Seymour rejected a series of motions by the three men, including requests that the case be dismissed under the argument that the U.S. District Court does not have jurisdiction over the case.