Ohio man indicted on charges relating to $6.5 million dry-cleaning fraud

When you think of multi-million dollar organized crime operations, it’s likely the sale of narcotics or firearms that comes to mind. In the recent case of a Cincinnati man, however, it was dry-cleaning.

Yes, dry-cleaning.

On Dec. 16 a federal grand jury indicted 41 year old Benjamin Cantey on four counts of wire fraud and two counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.

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According to the indictment, in 2019, Cantey created an investor-backed company, called Rumby, that provided an online platform for dry-cleaning pickup and delivery.

From 2020 until 2022, he allegedly defrauded investors of money and property, lied about his business experience and overstated Rumby’s growth and revenue.

In May of 2022, Cantey claimed the company ended the month with a balance of $1.5 million, when the company in reality had a balance of -$53,000.

He also allegedly spent $850,000 in investor money to help buy a 5,000-square-feet, $1.7 million home on in Cincinnati.

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