Maryse Liburdi (formerly Maryse Thomas) is the former

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Pokeware, a

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

company and ad exchange she founded in 1997. In September 2017, she was convicted of fraud for having deceived investors about the financial state of the company.

Other work

Liburdi has been an active member of the lobbying organization Technet and has participated in regional events advocating

innovation economics Innovation economics is a growing field of economic theory and applied/ experimental economics that emphasizes innovation and entrepreneurship. It comprises both the application of any type of innovations, especially technological but not only, ...

. In 2017, it was announced that she was one of the managers of a venture capital fund investing in sub-Saharan Africa tech startups.

Fraud conviction

Liburdi was arrested in April 2016 in Rome, stemming from US charges accused of investor fraud in the range of $25–30 million. In June 2017, she pled guilty of having defrauded investors by falsifying the company's bank accounts, making Pokeware appear to be in better financial condition than it actually was. Over a million dollars in investor money was spent on Liburdi's personal life. On September 29, 2017, Liburdi was sentenced to 49 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and an order to repay the $7 million and to forfeit another $7 million.

References

External links

Arab NetEndeavour MagazineLondon Loves Business
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liburdi, Maryse American businesspeople convicted of crimes American female criminals American people convicted of fraud American prisoners and detainees American technology chief executives American women chief executives Living people MacOS software Year of birth missing (living people)