CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) – When Donna deWardener invested nearly $2 million of her retirement savings through Joseph Giuttari for multiple real-estate deals, she felt confident it was a good financial decision. Giuttari is her cousin and he's been known for years within Rhode Island’s investment community as an active businessman, having done real-estate deals throughout New England along with his family. He seemed credible, she said. But deWardener said her confidence began to fade and eventually disappear after Giuttari failed to make payments, started making excuses, asked for more time and ultimately stopped communicating. DeWardener estimates she lost two-thirds of her retirement savings and now works part-time as a school nurse. She said the ordeal has changed the entire trajectory of her life. "What you plan to do as you get older, and who you might want to help, or who you might want to spend time with, your plans are permanently altered," she told Target 12 in an exclusive interview. "I'm so disappointed that he would do this." DeWardener is far from alone. A Target 12 review of hundreds of pages of court documents, land records and financial documents, along with interviews with five people who said they did business with Giuttari, reveals the Cranston man is accused of duping at least two dozen people out of millions of dollars over the past two decades. Target 12 has also learned Giuttari is currently the subject of a criminal investigation by the FBI, IRS and Rhode Island U.S Attorney’s Office. A federal spokesperson declined to comment. DeWardener said she's been interviewed by the FBI, and warned anyone who's currently doing business with Giuttari to "run as fast as you can." "Get away," she said. "He's going to hurt you." Giuttari, 62, didn’t answer the door when a reporter visited his Cranston home on Tuesday. John MacDonald, a criminal defense attorney who is representing Giuttari, declined to comment. 'He would tell a nice story' Giuttari has personally been named as the defendant in at least 17 cases in Rhode Island. Over the years people have accused him of breaching contracts, becoming unjustly rich with their money and failing to make repayments even after judges have ordered him to do so. He’s also been named in a federal lawsuit for allegedly conning a New Hampshire farmer out of nearly $1 million, according to federal court records. That case has spurred criminal charges in New Hampshire. In a recent court filing, Rhode Island U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy said the evidence in that case showed Giuttari "successfully preyed upon an unsophisticated investor to deprive him of his life savings." The people interviewed about their business dealings with Giutarri said he would lull them into a false sense of security by initially paying them solid returns on smaller investments. The people would then hand over more money, and that's when problems arose. “He would tell a nice story,” said Bruce Bayuk, who estimates he lost $250,000 to Giuttari. Bayuk said he “has no hope at all” that he’ll ever get his money back. He now wants law enforcement to step in and put an end to Giuttari's business dealings, he said. “I would like to see my money back, but mostly I am worried that he will hook other people,” Bayuk told Target 12. “For people who don’t have a lot of money, this could be devastating. He’s going to take it all away from you.”   The lawsuits reviewed by Target 12 are likely only a portion of Giuttari’s questionable business dealings, since multiple people – including Bayuk – said they didn't see value in going through the judicial system. Some didn't have any money left for lawyers. DeWardener said she stopped pursuing her case in court after dishing out nearly $30,000 in legal fees. "That's also all gone," she said. "If I ever received any payment, which I know is a very long shot, that would be really comforting. But the most important thing to me is just not to have him have to have the opportunity to do it to anyone else." Giuttari’s investment scheme has affected dozens of people, including a Worcester man who died while still being owed hundreds of thousands of dollars. A Massachusetts judge ordered Giuttari and others to repay the dead man’s estate. But the estate in 2018 had to file another claim in Rhode Island, alleging Giuttari wasn’t making his court-ordered payments. The case remains active and a judge this week ordered Giuttari to either come to court with $8,500 or be remanded to the Adult Correctional Institutions. “I had the impression we certainly were not the only ones,” Bayuk said. 'So many people have been hurt' In addition to the individuals, families and businesses that have sued Giuttari over the years, debt collectors and financial institutions – including Washington Trust and Citibank – have likewise come after him for money owed, according to court records. Giuttari's former landlord -- Etonemkee LLC -- alleged he owed $23,250 in unpaid lease payments for his former office space at 756 Eddy St. in Providence. In October, a judge ordered the past-due rent be paid plus interest.   In some of the civil lawsuits, Giutarri struck deals, resulting in them getting dismissed. In many of the other cases, however, he hasn't paid a dime, and the cases are dragging on. For example, a judge last year ordered Giuttari to pay $707,675 in outstanding debt and damages to Finch Lane Holdings LLC. Court records show he still hadn't paid any of the money as of earlier this year. Finch Lane is owned by Jeffrey Grybowski, a prominent offshore-wind executive, who declined to comment. Other people who said they fell victim to Giuttari’s scheme include lawyers, real estate agents, owners of limited liability companies and wealthy individuals interested in making money through so-called “hard-money loans.” They said they would put up the cash, Giuttari would serve as the broker between them and investors, and then the money would eventually disappear. Hard-money loans are typically used by people who can’t borrow from traditional lending institutions, such as banks and credit unions. They are also popular among real-estate investors, who tap people for cash infusions to buy, fix and flip homes quickly. They then pay back the loans within a year or two.   In 2013, a company called HML LLC alleged Giuttari had defaulted on three investments worth $118,265. A Rhode Island judge this week ordered Giuttari to come to court with $12,400 or be remanded to the ACI. "I cannot imagine what other motive there would be other than badness and greed," deWardener said. "I would love an explanation from him." Nobody interviewed by Target 12 knew where their money ended up going and they said Giuttari never disclosed specifics. But his business dealings are now resulting in criminal charges. Earlier this year, a grand jury in New Hampshire indicted Giuttari, charging him with three felony counts of theft by deception, three felony counts of securities fraud and one felony count of issuing bad checks. The charges stemmed from his business with the New Hampshire farmer, who law enforcement said invested $785,000 with Giuttari. Authorities said Giuttari lied about how he was going to use the money and then gave the farmer a $185,000 check that was refused. Giuttari waived his arraignment in June and is due back in court for a pretrial hearing later this year, according to New Hampshire Assistant Attorney General Kevin P.J. Scura. "He should pay for his crime," deWardener said. "So many people have been hurt." Eli Sherman ([email protected]) is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and on Facebook. Tim White ([email protected]) is Target 12 managing editor and chief investigative reporter and host of Newsmakers for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and Facebook.