It took Special Crimes Unit investigator Debra Gard nearly two years to put together the fraud case against Gold Country Lenders that resulted in the arrest and prosecution of CEO Phil Lester and his wife, Ellen, CFO Susan Laferte, and business partner Jon Blinder. What she allegedly uncovered was a collapsing house of cards that enmeshed dozens of investors who lost at least $4 million on the charged counts alone. The charges allege that Gold Country Lenders engaged in a pattern of theft and fraud-related crimes for more than eight years. Phil Lester and Laferte have been charged with 66 …