Sanctuary Belize mastermind Andris Pukke sentenced to 8 years in U.S. prison

BELIZE CITY, Tues. Sept. 23, 2025

   The mastermind behind Sanctuary Belize, the largest real estate scam ever linked to Belize, 56-year-old Andris Pukke will spend 8 years behind bars. He was sentenced on Tuesday, September 22 by U.S. District Judge, J. Paul Oetken. Additionally, Pukke will be subject to 3 years of supervised release.

   The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigated Pukke, Peter Baker (Pukke’s childhood friend) and John Usher (a Belize native), who they say started selling lots in 2005 in a deceptively marketed real estate development near Placencia under the Sanctuary Belize Enterprise (SBE) network of individuals and companies. Court documents indicate that prospective buyers, mainly American retirees, “were misled about the debt the project carried, the reinvestment of sales revenue, the existence of luxury amenities, the timeline for development, and the state of the resale market.” They bought lots with the promise of being able to build their dream home in a luxury vacation and retirement community with all amenities rivalling those of a small American city; instead, they lost their retirement savings.

   By the time Sanctuary Bay was getting off the ground, Pukke had already been convicted of mail fraud dating back to 1996. Undaunted, Pukke proceeded with a massive AmeriDebt credit counselling scheme. He settled that case with the FTC by agreeing to pay millions in restitution to victims and turn nearly all of his assets over to a receiver. Instead of complying, he and Baker conspired to hide his assets, and in 2005, they were found guilty of obstruction of justice and were incarcerated for about six weeks in 2007. As a result, Pukke used aliases in Belize to conceal his criminal past.

   In the Sanctuary Belize case, Pukke, Baker and Usher were found liable for violations of the Federal Trade Commission Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, and a permanent injunction from the AmeriDebt fraud case. Pukke has a prior judgment of $172 million from the FTC in connection with the AmeriDebt case, though the FTC had agreed to suspend a majority of the judgment with only $35 million deemed payable if he cooperated fully.

   Sanctuary Belize received more than US$124 million from the sale of over 1,000 residential lots – some of them sold more than once. Pukke, Baker and Usher, as well as others operating under SBE, were charged in November 2018. Pukke was convicted on July 10, 2024. An appeal that was argued in October 2024 did not go in his favour. The final judgment was delivered on December 12, 2024.

   Pukke, originally from Newport Beach, California, is reported to have used between $10 million and $18 million stolen from Sanctuary Belize for his own personal benefit, including for the purchase and renovation of a waterfront home, the repayment of a personal loan, child support payments, the purchase of land in the Bahamas, and payments to family and friends.

   Pukke was ordered to forfeit $9,912,396, and was previously ordered to pay restitution totalling $120.2 million to Sanctuary Belize victims. In 2023, the FTC refunded 1,198 buyers on average, US$8,286.47 each.    

   Pukke’s maximum potential sentence as prescribed by the US Congress was up to 20 years for wire fraud, and up to 10 years for engaging in unlawful monetary transactions.

   A statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York cites U.S. attorney Jay Clayton as stating, “Andris Pukke thought he could hide behind foreign land deals and false names, but he was wrong. This sentence removes a bad actor and serves as a warning

 actor and serves as a warning to other would-be fraudsters.” James Kohm, an Assistant Director of Enforcement at the FTC, called Pukke a “hardcore recidivist scammer.”

   In the case of Usher and several corporations under the SBE network, default judgments were entered against them, as they never made any appearance in the proceedings. Equitable monetary judgments in the same amount of $120.2 million were also entered against the defaulted parties.

   The FTC’s civil complaint also included offshore bank, Atlantic International Bank Ltd. (AIBL) as a defendant for “assisting and facilitating the Sanctuary Belize scam.” The FTC argued that the bank knew or should reasonably have known that its acts in furtherance of its unlawful coordination with Sanctuary Belize substantially affected the U.S. At the time, AIBL defended itself stating, “AIBL enjoys a record as a good corporate citizen and trusted partner to its primarily non-resident customer base. AIBL has worked tirelessly to develop its reputation as a sound and responsible partner in Belize development. AIBL reserves all of its rights and will defend its customers and its interests, as it did not engage in wrongdoing.”