ILOILO CITY— The son and namesake of incumbent Mina, Iloilo mayor Rey Grabato has been included in the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) list of Top Most Wanted Fraudsters in connection to a $650-million investment scam in the US.
Rey Grabato II is wanted by the FBI “for conspiracy to commit securities fraud, securities fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the US with respect to tax."
In an August 13 (August 14 Philippine time) online announcement, the FBI is offering a reward of $150,000 for information that could lead to the arrest of Rey II who might have “ties to the Philippines and may be living there.”
Rey II was originally indicted in October 2022 after being charged by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for defrauding thousands of investors via the National Realty Investment Advisors LLC (NRIA).
As the president and majority owner NRIA, the FBI said Rey II and his business partner Thomas Nicholas Salzano “misrepresented the value of NRIA’s investment fund to reportedly acquire equity interests in companies that invested in real estate assets”.
Rey II is also accused of conspiring to evade $26 million in tax liabilities with the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
When the initial news broke out in October 2022, the Grabato family said that Rey II has already returned to Iloilo after recovering from an accident in the US.
In 2023, Rey II was seen publicly in Iloilo. At that time, he was engaged in several businesses including construction and farming.
As of press time, Rey II’s whereabouts are unknown. The Grabato family has also not issued a statement.