Former Real Estate Executive Charged with Wire Fraud

Viktor Gjonaj, former head of the Troy-based Imperium Group, LLC, has been charged with bilking at least two dozen investors of $26.4 million to fuel his Michigan lottery habit. Gjonaj promised investors that he would buy, develop, and resell real estate for a profit, but did not promise a specific rate of return. Of the 66 real estate deals presented, none came to fruition. Instead, he used the funds to support his $1 million a week Daily 3 and Daily 4 gambling habit. The state’s $5,000 daily limit on lottery terminals, installed in 2018 in response to Gjonaj’s lottery activities, did not slow his habit. Gjonaj’s current location is unknown.