[2] In March 2021, Champion-Cain was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for securities fraud, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice, and was ordered to pay tens of millions of dollars in restitution.
[4] Some of Champion-Cain's notable development projects included the House of Blues, Acqua Vista Apartments, Broadway Lofts, and Front Porch culinary stores.
[10][11] In August 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Champion-Cain of orchestrating a $300 million liquor license lending scheme that defrauded dozens of investors.
[12] According to the plea agreement filed by the U.S. Attorney's office, Champion-Cain and her co-conspirators raised more than $400 million from hundreds of investors between 2012 and 2019, claiming that the funds would be used to make high-interest loans to individuals seeking alcohol licenses and would be safely held in an escrow account.
[12] When the SEC and FBI began investigating her activities in 2019, Champion-Cain and her co-conspirators attempted to cover up the crime by shredding documents, deleting emails, and hiding boxes of evidence in secret locations.