A Cincinnati man who used $850,000 in stolen investor funds to buy a $1.7 million home on Garden Place in Hyde Park was sentenced Tuesday, July 28, to 40 months in federal prison.

Benjamin Cantey, 40, defrauded investors out of at least $6,543,999.42 through a fake e-commerce startup called Rumby, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio.

Cantey founded a company called Carbon IQ in 2019, which operated under the name Rumby and claimed to offer venture-backed pickup and delivery service for laundry and dry cleaning. Between 2020 and 2022, he solicited investors while lying about his business experience, Rumby's revenue, bank balances, profit margins, and growth projections, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

The lies were specific. Cantey told investors Rumby ended May 2022 with a bank balance of $1.5 million. The actual balance was negative $53,000.

He also created fake "pitch decks" containing false projections of revenue growth, the number of active cleaners on the platform, and projected profits, according to federal prosecutors.

How the money reached Hyde Park

The largest single misuse of investor funds was tied directly to this neighborhood. Federal prosecutors said Cantey took $850,000 from an investor under the false pretense that the money would pay for attendance at a large industry trade show where Rumby would promote its business. Instead, he used it to purchase a 5,000-square-foot home on Garden Place in Hyde Park, WCPO reported.

Court timeline

Cantey was indicted in December 2024 and pleaded guilty to one count of federal wire fraud in October 2025. The sentencing took place Tuesday, July 28, at the federal courthouse in Cincinnati.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel prosecuted the case, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The U.S. Attorney's Office has not publicly disclosed the restitution amount or supervised release terms associated with the sentence.

Residents who believe they may have been victims of investment fraud can contact the FBI's Cincinnati field office.