Arizona Restaurateur Sentenced for $5.6M Fraud, Awaits Teen Murder Trial

• Arizona restaurateur defrauded 54 investors to bankroll gambling and luxuries.
• Suspect awaits trial for brutal desert killing of teen visitor.
• Victim’s blood, bank cards and surveillance footage link suspect to murder.

An Arizona restaurateur who is the main suspect in the brutal murder of a teenager has been sentenced to 87 months in prison for scamming 54 people out of roughly $5.6 million to feed his gambling habit.

Anthonie Ruinard Jr., 40, is awaiting trial for the murder of 18-year-old Parker League, whose body was found “dismembered, stabbed, and burned beyond recognition” in a desert area near Apache Junction, Ariz., on June 11, 2023.

In the meantime, he was indicted by a federal grand jury for swindling investors in his fake business, Legacy Investors Group, Inc.

Ruinard posed as a successful investor worth over $470 million. From 2018 to 2023, he promised victims his shrewd speculation in venture capital, private equity, and real estate would earn a 5% to 6% ROI per month, according to the indictment. This was a lie, prosecutors said.

Ponzi Scheme

Although a few initial investors saw returns, many others ended up losing all their money in what prosecutors say resembled a traditional Ponzi scheme.

Ruinard spent the funds on casino gambling and high-end vehicles, including an armored car valued at $344,000, per court documents. He was ordered to pay over $4.5 million in restitution to victims.

His extensive criminal background includes armed robbery, theft, making a bomb threat against a school, and animal cruelty.

Death of Parker League

Parker League, 18, was visiting friends in Arizona from his home in Nebraska when he was reported missing by his family in June 2023.

On June 11, he encountered Ruinard in a nightclub in Phoenix. Security video from that day showed League and Ruinard leaving a gas station together. It was the last time League was seen alive. Ruinard was detained when he began using the victim’s bank cards after his death.

In March 2024, a grand jury returned an indictment against Ruinard on 19 counts of wire fraud and money laundering related to the investment scheme. The same indictment also included second-degree murder and abandonment/ concealment of a body charges tied to League’s death.