Paco Ahlgren

Paco Ahlgren (born Frank Richard Ahlgren, III on November 19, 1968) is an American writer, musician, and financial journalist. His novel, Discipline, was published in July 2007 by Greenleaf Book Group; it went on to receive three awards for commercial fiction.

Work
Ahlgren began his musical career in 1987 as a teenager in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, playing shows with his band The Bentley Tock. The band's first single, She, was the most requested song on WVUA-FM in 1988. In 1989, they played a well-received show at the University of Alabama's Riverside Amphitheater and recorded a 6-song EP, and then a full-length album in 1992 entitled Able.

Ahlgren's novel, Discipline, received a favorable review from Jeffrey Satinover. Discipline also received recommendations from The Midwest Book Review, The Houston Press and the Durango Herald. It was selected as a 2007 Booksense Notable by the American Booksellers Association. In 2009, it was optioned to become a motion picture, by David Permut and Steve Jones.

Ahlgren is a contributing writer to Seeking Alpha.

Legal Issues
A federal grand jury indicted Frank Richard Ahlgren III, of Austin for filing false tax returns that underreported or did not report the sale of $4 million worth of bitcoin in which he had substantial gains on February 6, 2024. The indictment also charges that after selling some of his bitcoin to an individual in exchange for cash, Ahlgren made a series of bank deposits of the cash in amounts less than $10,000 each to avoid triggering currency transaction reporting requirements. Ahlgren faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each structuring count and three years in prison for each false return count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Family
Ahlgren is the grandson of Frank Ahlgren Sr., editor of Memphis daily newspaper The Commercial Appeal for 32 years, and a University of Tennessee Board of Trustees member for 27 years. Ahlgren Sr. was involved in developing the university's School of Journalism in 1957, and was inducted into the Tennessee Newspaper Hall of Fame in November 2007.