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In addition to the prison sentence, Kenneth Brewington, 55, of Corona, California, was ordered by a Colorado judge to serve three years of supervised release and to pay US$563,526.78.
Brewington was convicted in May of mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and other crimes.
The Department of Justice statement said that starting 2009, Brewington and his co-conspirators told the victims that he needed millions of dollars in supposed fees in order to access his extraordinary wealth abroad and that he would in return use that money for financing.Â
The investors wired the money to an attorney trust account but from there it was diverted to Brewington and his allies who also pleaded guilty.Â
Brian G. Elrod, 59, of Lakewood, Colorado, was sentenced to serve 41 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,440,051.Â
William E. Dawn, 80, of Denver, Colorado, was sentenced to time served and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $366,752.
