CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A South Charleston man who styled himself as the “Wolf of West Virginia” has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for defrauding investors in two real estate schemes.
Theodore Miller, 35, was also ordered to pay $398,533.52 in restitution and will serve three years of supervised release following his prison term. He pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud earlier this year.
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Prosecutors said Miller used social media to portray himself as a successful real estate mogul while in reality struggling with poor credit, unpaid bills and defaulted loans.
From spring 2022 through September 2024, he solicited more than 180 people to invest in two fraudulent ventures.
One scheme promised investors a share of profits and rental income from development projects on Bigley Avenue in Charleston.
The other, a pooled real estate investment called “Bear Lute,” falsely promised steady returns of at least 6 percent, online account tracking, and withdrawals within 60 days.
Miller obtained about $95,000 through the Charleston property scheme and roughly $303,950 through Bear Lute, according to court documents. Examples cited in his plea agreement included a $20,000 wire from a California investor and $2,500 from a Texas investor.
Investigators also found that Miller’s mother, Deanna Drumm, 61, of Charleston, managed the financial operations of the schemes while Miller was living outside the United States from 2021 to 2024.
Drumm pleaded guilty last November to aiding and abetting the sale of unregistered securities. She is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 9.
U.S. District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston credited the FBI, the West Virginia Fusion Center, the West Virginia Securities Commission, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission with assisting in the case.
