Alleged Ponzi couple extradited

The Sarasota couple accused of swindling at least $14 million from investors in a Ponzi scheme is headed back to the United States to face criminal charges.

John and Marian Morgan were extradited Thursday evening from Sri Lanka, where they were arrested in August on separate bank fraud charges. They have been held in a Sri Lankan jail since then.

After a June 25 court hearing in Tampa in which a judge ordered the Morgans to stop their investment activities, the couple boarded a plane and flew to Switzerland. They sent investors an e-mail claiming they were in Denmark and reassuring them that their money was safe because it was out of the jurisdiction of the United States.

When the judge learned the Morgans were violating his order, he called them back to his courtroom July 16 to face possible contempt charges. When the couple failed to appear, the judge issued a warrant for their arrest.

A month later they were arrested in Sri Lanka for trying to pass a bad check.

Contact Robin Roy at [email protected].