J.V. Huffman Jr. was scheduled to appear in court Monday morning. His court date was postponed to January.
A few dozen people who invested in his company, some of them members of Huffman's family, came to court to see how the hearing played out. They didn't see what they were expecting. Huffman didn't appear in court. Prosecutor Eric Bellas said Huffman's recently appointed attorneys, the law firm Anderson Terpening PLLC, asked for a continuance.
Huffman's new date for a probable cause hearing is Jan. 21, said Al Jean Bogle, clerk of Superior Court. Huffman's attorneys did not file a motion to reduce his bond from $1 million, Bogle said.
Huffman is accused of lying to neighbors, family and friends for 17 years, telling them he bought and sold securities while he took millions of dollars from them to pay for his lavish lifestyle in a Ponzi scheme. About 500 people invested $25 million with Huffman's company, Biltmore Financial Group Inc., beginning in 1991 and ending Nov. 7 with his arrest.
Wayne Bumgarner was one of the investors who attended court Monday. He said he wanted to see Huffman.
"I wanted him to look at me. He's someone I've known all my life, and I wanted to look at him and say, 'I don't know you,'" Bumgarner said.
Bumgarner also was in court Nov. 10 at Huffman's first court appearance after he was arrested.
"I'd go visit him in jail if I could," Bumgarner said, adding he came to court Monday because he "wanted to stay on top of the program as much as I can, to see what's going on."
He said he was disappointed Huffman didn't appear in the courtroom.
Vickie Drum also came to court Monday to see how the court system operates. She said by seeing the process in person, she could better understand it.
A distant relative of Huffman's — she's his second cousin and said she only saw him once a year — Drum also had money invested with Biltmore Financial Group. She sold property this spring and invested the money with Huffman in June. Despite this, Drum is not yet ready to convict Huffman.
"He's innocent until proven guilty," she said, although she added, "even if he's found not guilty, this will ruin his life."
Huffman's uncle, George Huffman, also came to court Monday. He, too, invested money with Huffman.
Unlike most of the other investors, though, George said he harbors no ill will toward his nephew.
"I wanted to find out what's going on. I've got no hard feelings toward him. I've come for support," he said. "He's a good boy, he just got on the wrong track."
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