Disney star Erik von Detten accused of elder abuse & gold scam worth $2M: Details explored 

Former Disney star Erik von Detten has been accused of scamming an elderly couple of over $2 million. He and Rosland Capital allegedly sold the couple gold coins worth about $1.3 million for about $2.1 million.

Erik von Detten is known for his role in The Princess Diaries and Complete Savages. He also voiced Sid Phillips in Toy Story in 1995 and reprised the role in Toy Story 3 in 2010. However, his career fizzled out in the last two decades. He joined Rosland Capital in 2018, a precious-metals asset management and sales firm.

According to E! News, an elderly couple filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of California in May against Rosland Capital and Von Detten for alleged fraud. Sheila Greenberg, 85, and her husband, Norman Greenberg, 97, allege they were pressured into spending about $2.1 million of their retirement funds on gold coins worth $1.3 million.

The lawsuit claims that Sheila and Norman contacted Rosland Capital after watching their advertisements. They were then referred to Erik von Detten, who was the company's top advisor. The lawsuit states:

“They were very clear with Von Detten that they had never invested in gold or other precious metals and really knew very little about these things. They told Von Detten they were of advanced age as they thought it important to someone who was going to help them invest in gold bullion as part of their IRA."

"They told Von Detten that they wanted a trusted and knowledgeable advisor. And after speaking with him they were so sufficiently impressed that they disclosed that their combined Traditional IRA account balances were in excess of $2,000,000,” it added.

As per the lawsuit, Von Detten convinced the couple to trust him and invest their money. Along with the $2.1 million, he also allegedly convinced them to spend an additional $114,000 through their family trust.

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More details about the lawsuit against Erik von Detten and Rosland Capital

According to the lawsuit, the elderly couple purchased 1,328 Lady Liberty gold coins in October 2020 and 1,499 in November 2020 using their IRA. They then purchased 109 Lewis Chessmen King coins in August 2021 and 50 F1 coins from their family trust. All of these purchases were allegedly made at a much higher markup than the actual cost.

The lawsuit stated:

"[Rosland Capital and Erik von Detten] took, secreted, appropriated, obtained or retained an unconscionable markup over the fair value of no less than $900,000 for a wrongful use."

The lawsuit claims that the couple made it clear to Von Detten that they weren't well-versed in gold investment strategies. However, the former Disney star pushed to buy it at "unconscionable prices."

"The prices Defendants charged Plaintiffs in every instance were not fair and reasonable but were instead grossly in excess of the market value for each order at the time each order was executed," it further stated.

The couple is demanding at least $1,800,000 in damages for each allegation, punitive damages, and prejudgment interest accruing at 10 percent. Notably, Rosland Capital filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July this year.

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