Aaron Clark was a promising Black businessman in Colorado’s tech scene, rising in the community at a time when companies pledged to invest more in its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. But Clark turned out to be a scam artist. In this 5280 story, Chris Walker digs into Clark’s past and history of grift and failed business ventures, spanning the Bay Area and overseas in Nairobi’s Silicon Savannah.
The moment Clark made another excuse about the room, the college student fired back. “I don’t think Nicole would be too happy to hear about this,” he said, referring to Clark’s probation officer.
The threat worked, and weeks later, Hoynacki received a refund. Still, the undergrad was shaken up enough that he called local police, and through a free legal service offered at Cal, learned about other students who had reported problems with Clark. One year later, in September 2014, the Alameda County district attorney issued a 13-count indictment against Clark, including nine felony charges for grand theft and forgery. Clark pleaded no contest to one felony count of grand theft of real property and received five years of probation.
This time, he paid back the full $14,100 he owed to his victims. But Clark was still writing those restitution checks when he began creating trouble on an entirely different continent.
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