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A Texas lawyer who spent decades practicing criminal, family and personal injury law now finds himself on the other side of the courtroom entirely. Federal prosecutors have charged Christopher Gilchrist of Grand Prairie, just outside Dallas, with running a $1.5 million Ponzi scheme and then lying to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in an alleged attempt to escape accountability.

The Charges Against Gilchrist

Gilchrist, 70, was arrested Monday and now faces charges of fraud, aggravated identity theft and witness tampering, according to prosecutors — a combination of counts suggesting the alleged scheme extended well beyond simple financial deception into active efforts to obstruct the resulting investigation.

The Alleged Scheme's Mechanics

Prosecutors say Gilchrist promised more than 20 people he would invest their money in tax liens — investments that, according to authorities, never actually existed in the first place. He allegedly raised $1.45 million from these investors while returning less than $800,000, leaving a substantial gap between what came in and what ever made it back out.

Forged Documents and an Alleged Cover-Up

The allegations extend further into obstruction territory. Prosecutors claim Gilchrist submitted forged quitclaim deeds directly to SEC investigators, and separately pressured a potential accomplice into taking a vacation to Mexico — an alleged maneuver aimed at concealing the underlying crimes from authorities.

The SEC's Response

"Attorneys play a vital role in the SEC's investor protection mission," SEC Inspector General Kevin Muhlendorf said in a Tuesday statement. "Where any individual, but especially an attorney, seeks to obstruct SEC enforcement investigations through lies, fake documents, or witness tampering, SEC [Office of Inspector General] will use our law enforcement authority to pursue them with our partners at the Department of Justice."

Gilchrist's Defense

R. Tamara de Silva of De Silva Law Offices LLC, an attorney representing Gilchrist, pushed back against the allegations in a Wednesday email, saying her client "disputes the allegations and will respond to them in court, where they belong." She added: "He is, like anyone charged, presumed innocent."

A Longtime Texas Attorney

According to his profile with the state bar association, Gilchrist operates as a solo practitioner in Grand Prairie, specializing in criminal law, family law and personal injury law. His license remained active as of Wednesday. He was first licensed to practice in Texas after graduating from Texas Tech University back in 1983 — meaning these allegations arrive after more than four decades of legal practice.

A Parallel Civil Case From the SEC

Beyond the criminal indictment, Gilchrist also faces a separate SEC lawsuit filed Monday in Texas federal court. That civil complaint alleges Gilchrist raised more than $1.8 million between 2021 and 2025, not only through the fake tax lien scheme but also by promising investors their money would advance settlement payments to class action plaintiffs.

The SEC's Allegations in Detail

"He never used investor money to buy class action settlement payments or tax liens," the SEC's complaint states. "Instead, he used it for his own purposes and to make Ponzi-like payments to other investors" — a classic Ponzi structure where new investor funds are used to pay off earlier investors, creating an illusion of legitimate returns.

A Second Figure Allegedly Involved

The SEC's complaint also implicates Texas podcast host Christopher "Aaron" Novinger, alleging he assisted Gilchrist in carrying out the scheme.

Novinger's Prior Run-In With Regulators

This isn't Novinger's first encounter with the SEC. Back in 2016, the agency barred him from associating with any broker and fined him $150,000, after he settled a case accusing him of fraudulently selling life settlement interests without holding a registered broker-dealer license. Novinger later unsuccessfully challenged a provision of that settlement that barred him from publicly denying the underlying allegations.

Alleged Violations of the Prior Ban

Despite that existing ban, the SEC's latest complaint alleges Novinger acted as an unlicensed broker while helping Gilchrist find investors to purchase the fake tax liens. According to the agency, Novinger did so even as his own suspicions grew that Gilchrist hadn't actually purchased any of the liens he claimed to have secured.

"For months [Novinger] repeatedly demanded proof that Gilchrist had purchased the tax liens. Gilchrist never supplied such evidence to Novinger," the complaint states. "But Novinger continued playing an indispensable role in these offerings" — suggesting Novinger kept facilitating investor introductions even without ever receiving the proof he'd requested.

Novinger couldn't immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

The Legal Teams Involved

The government is represented by Alexander Schwab and Douglas Brasher of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas. The SEC is represented internally by Jonathan Polish, James O'Keefe and Patrick Disbennett. Gilchrist is represented by R. Tamara de Silva of De Silva Law Offices LLC. Counsel information for Novinger wasn't immediately available Wednesday.