Georgia Investment CEO Gets Maximum 20-Year Sentence for $380 Million Ponzi Scheme

A Judge's Verdict and a Trail of Devastated Investors

Todd Burkhalter, the founder and CEO of Georgia-based financial advisory group Drive Planning LLC, was sentenced on August 14 to serve 20 years in federal prison — the maximum allowed by law — for orchestrating a years-long Ponzi scheme that resulted in thousands of investors losing nearly $400 million. The case has rocked the financial advisory world and left a stark reminder of how easily trust can be weaponized against ordinary people.

U.S. District Court Judge Tiffany Johnson imposed the maximum sentence, rejecting a plea deal and citing Burkhalter's "despicable" conduct and the devastating impact on victims. Twenty years was the maximum the judge could give — his attorneys had asked for the 14-year minimum as outlined in a sentencing memorandum. The judge's decision to go beyond what prosecutors recommended sent a clear message: this was no ordinary white-collar case.

How the Scheme Worked — and Who It Hurt

Burkhalter tricked more than 2,000 investors out of approximately $380 million between 2020 and 2024. Drive Planning offered investors what it called the Cash Out Real Estate Fund, or CORE Fund, advertising the program as providing "100% Passive Income from Tax Liens" and guaranteeing investors a 10% return every six months — or 22% annually — for as long as three years, with investors told their money would be pooled, government-protected, and fully collateralized. None of it was true.

Instead, they used money from one investor to pay off the next, encouraging people to deplete their children's college funds, take early retirement account distributions, and borrow money at high interest rates to invest in Drive Planning. Prosecutors said Drive Planning failed to disclose that it had stopped investing any money in the CORE Fund after approximately December 9, 2022 — yet the company still received at least $4.1 million from people seeking to invest in it. The human cost was enormous, with Judge Johnson noting that many victims were unlikely to ever fully recover their losses.

Yachts, Condos, and Luxury Cars Funded by Stolen Money

Burkhalter was accused of living extravagantly from the proceeds of the scheme, buying a $2 million yacht, a $2.1 million luxury condo in Mexico, multiple luxury vehicles totaling up to $800,000, and jewelry, clothing, and luxury travel into the millions. While investors were draining retirement accounts on the promise of passive income, their money was financing a lifestyle most could never imagine.

Even after the Securities and Exchange Commission began investigating Drive Planning in early 2024, Burkhalter and others continued to solicit tens of millions of dollars for the Ponzi scheme. That brazen continuation of the fraud, even under federal scrutiny, appeared to weigh heavily on the judge's decision to impose the harshest possible sentence.

Co-Conspirators Sentenced, and What Comes Next for Victims

Two other Drive Planning employees were also sentenced: COO David Bradford received four years and three months for his role, while CAO Julie Edwards received a two-year sentence for her lesser involvement in the scheme. Burkhalter, Bradford, and Edwards will all serve their federal prison sentences without the possibility of parole.

Burkhalter was ordered to pay $233,777,763.82 in restitution to victims — a figure that, while substantial, still falls well short of the total losses investors suffered. The company is now in receivership , and the process of recovering any remaining assets for victims will likely stretch on for years. For the more than 2,000 people who trusted Drive Planning with their savings, retirement funds, and their children's futures, the sentencing offers justice — but not necessarily a path to full financial recovery. Cases like this underscore why independent verification of investment claims and regulatory oversight remain among the most critical protections available to everyday investors.