Naman Shrestha
In the mid-2010s, the residents of Opelika, Alabama, became victims of a scam conducted by a self-proclaimed tech guru and former Google employee named Kyle Sandler. Attracting investors through his start-up, Round House, he managed to collect thousands and thousands of dollars, only to scam his clients and use the money to fulfill his personal and extravagant lifestyle. The entire case is covered in detail in the episode titled ‘The Gig City Grift’ of Hulu’s ‘Scam Goddess.’ He even features in a short interview with Laci Mosley, who confronts her with several questions.
Kyle Sandler Took Advantage of the Trust of Opelika Residents and Scammed Them
Raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Kyle Geoffrey Sandler moved to Opelika, Alabama, with his then-wife, and sooner rather than later, the rumor of him being a former Google executive spread like wildfire across the community. His inspirational success story, alongside his charming personality, helped him become a part of the city. With the support and trust of the people, he founded a company called Round House that served as a launching pad for tech companies looking to capture the market. Through his organization, he reportedly defrauded more than 70 investors and embezzled nearly $2 million by issuing stock in Round House and overselling the equity by almost 100%.
On top of that, Kyle also reportedly made false claims and misrepresented himself to attract investors. Not only did he have a criminal past with fraud convictions on his rap sheet, but he also lied about being a successful Google employee. In December 2016, his Round House storefront in Opelika was shut down as he was accused of not paying the debts. In his defense, Kyle claimed that the company was closed due to a lack of funds. With several Round House employees left unpaid for their services, he left Opelika, but in June 2018, the 42-year-old scammer was finally arrested without any incident and was charged with theft and being a fugitive from justice.
Several months later, in February 2019, Kyle pleaded guilty to fraud and apologized to the people of Opelika. He stated, “Remorse doesn’t even begin to say it. I’m disgusted with myself. I’ve been blessed with a certain amount of intelligence, and I used it to hurt people and steal their money.” A month later, in March 2019, he was sentenced to 63 months in prison and three years of supervised release after the completion of his sentence for committing wire and security fraud. In addition, he was ordered to pay about $1.9 million in restitution to his victims. However, just after serving a couple of years in prison, he was released in February 2022 and immediately set up a GoFundMe for $2,500 dollars.
Kyle Sandler is a Federal Prison Consultant Today
Kyle Geoffrey Sandler went to Oakland Mills High School before earning his Bachelor’s degree from Auburn University in May 1997. For his first job, he was a Radio DJ at the Radio AHHS and also associated with the Afternoon Air Force in the DC Baltimore area. After serving as a Sales Manager at Clearwire, he became the Wireless Manager at TSR Wirless LLC in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In 2007, he founded his first company, TheDroidGuy LLC, which stayed in business until June 2011. He then founded Nibletz, where he also served as the CEO and Editor-in-Chief.
Around 2012, he founded a startup incubator called Round House, for which he raised funds. However, he put the company and himself on the line by becoming greedy and committing wire fraud, for which he was sent to prison. From July 2018 to November 2024, he also worked at the United States Federal Government as the Officer’s Mess Hall Inmate Supervisor. For a couple of years, from February 2022 to March 2024, Kyle was the House Manager at Huey Magoo’s LLC in Montgomery, Alabama. In early 2022, he not only founded Razorwire Media and Federal Prison Tips LLC, but he also became the Legal Assistant at Razor Wire Legal Services.
Kyle, who still holds these three positions, currently resides in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area of Florida. Apart from being an experienced Federal Prison Consultant and Post-Conviction Expert who assists “justice-impacted individuals navigate the waters of their Federal Prison journey through consulting, tips, and legal assistance,” he also hosts a podcast called ‘Beyond The Narrative: Crime and Punishment,’ in which he talks about different kinds of subjects like business, politics, and sports.
Kyle Sandler is a Married Man and a Dog Owner Today
Just like his professional life has a lot going on at the moment, Kyle Sandler’s personal life has also been quite eventful, especially since his release from prison. Not only did he come out of the closet, but he also revealed that he had been in a romantic relationship with Cody Ayers since April 23, 2021. Hailing from Winter Haven, Florida, Cody is an Account Specialist at VENUS. Previously, the Florida State College graduate was a Customer Support Associate at Convergys and a Customer Experience Agent at Stericycle. From what we can tell, Kyle and Cody tied the knot sometime in the past couple of years and have been leading a happily married life since then.
In June 2024, when his partner’s mother tragically passed away, Kyle was there for him to provide him with emotional support. Following the tragedy, he took to social media and said, “…I’ve been here for you through everything we faced in prison and now that we are geographically closer it is this relentless determination that you have for those you love that I will return forever. I am so grateful that I got to meet her, the woman, despite life’s circumstances, raised the most amazing man and partner I’ve ever known ever had and ever loved.” Besides having each other, the couple also owns an adorable furry little friend.
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