Who is Christopher LaVoie? Man behind ‘4 Days’ reality shows has history of run-ins with police, dubious business ventures and a long and violent history with the law.
In many ways, “The Chris,” as he’s called, is a man with a lot of character.
LaVoie grew up in a small town in Maine – he was one of 12 kids – where he graduated high school in 1991, attended college and earned a degree in environmental science and public policy.
But in the years leading up to his death he was living a double life. He’d be found guilty of murder in federal court but the real Chris LaVoie was living a life of luxury in a series of multimillion-dollar mansions he purchased around New York and Connecticut.
LaVoie’s businesses were always fraught with controversy.
In 2014, LaVoie was found to have been bilking tens of thousands of dollars from investors and the state of New York to fund an illegal gambling ring and a multi-million dollar scam that involved the exploitation of mentally disabled people.
He also was investigated by the FBI for having been involved in human trafficking, fraud and money-laundering out of his multimillion-dollar business ventures, a story that was widely reported but never resolved due to LaVoie’s lack of cooperation.
What’s this got to do with the Chris LaVoie we know today?
In 2012 LaVoie was indicted on charges of bank fraud and money laundering, stemming from his business ventures. The allegations included that LaVoie was funneling tens of millions of dollars through a series of shell companies and bank accounts in an attempt to hide the money that he was illegally taking from investors and the people he was bilking in exchange for the use of his business empire.
According to an indictment obtained by WCBS: “LaVoie, who at times was referred to as ‘The Chris,’ had also been involved in running a number of other businesses that operated using little to no funds.”