{"id":15026,"date":"2015-08-25T22:46:37","date_gmt":"2015-08-26T05:46:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=15026"},"modified":"2015-08-25T22:46:37","modified_gmt":"2015-08-26T05:46:37","slug":"wife-and-husband-sent-to-prison-for-conning-investors-out-of-9-million-news-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=15026","title":{"rendered":"Wife and Husband Sent to Prison for Conning Investors Out of $9 Million (News Video)"},"content":{"rendered":"

OHIO<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\"Preston<\/a>
Preston Harrision<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A husband and wife were sentenced to prison Tuesday for their roles in a fraud scheme related to the company Imperial Integrative Health Research and Development LLC<\/strong> \u00a0and its product, OXYwater<\/strong>, \u00a0officials said.<\/p>\n

U.S. District Judge Gregory L. Frost<\/strong> sentenced Preston J. Harrison<\/strong>, 43, and Lovena Harrison, <\/strong>42.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Between August 2010 and spring 2013, \u00a0officials said \u00a0Thomas Jackson<\/strong> and Preston Harrison misappropriated approximately $2 million of the investors\u2019 funds.<\/p>\n

Preston Harrison is a former University of Ohio football player.<\/p>\n

The defendants\u2019 scheme caused investors to suffer substantial losses when the corporation was forced to declare bankruptcy with no assets.\u00a0 As a result of the defendants\u2019 conduct, investors lost approximately $9 million, according to officials.<\/p>\n

Court evidence indicated that Jackson and Preston Harrison operated Imperial, based in Westerville, Ohio, and developed OXYwater<\/strong>, a beverage that promoters claimed was an all-natural, vitamin-enhanced sports drink that contained added oxygen for improved physical performance.<\/p>\n

The defendants, of Lewis Center, Ohio, engaged in a scheme to deceive the investors in Imperial about Imperial and OXYwater\u2019s structure, composition, finances, sales and profits in order to make the company appear to be a lucrative and profitable financial investment, officials said.<\/p>\n

The defendants spent the money for their own personal use, including the purchase of jewelry, a Cadillac Escalade, a BMW vehicle, weapons, clothing, home improvements and a swimming pool, authorities said.<\/p>\n

Jackson and Preston Harrison produced and sent false and fraudulent documents intended to deceive investors in order to obtain additional investments in Imperial, the evidence indicated.<\/p>\n

In 2011, Preston Harrison misappropriated approximately $1.1 million from Imperial, which he and Lovena Harrison diverted into an account in the name of a daycare business and used for personal expenses.<\/p>\n

The Harrisons did not report the money as income on their 2011 income tax return, officials said.<\/p>\n

Preston Harrison was sentenced to serve six years and 11 months in prison.<\/p>\n

He was ordered to pay $375,985 \u00a0in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service and $8,840,706 to victims of the fraud, and to forfeit $1.1 million, including two vehicles, eight weapons, cash and the contents of a bank account.<\/p>\n

Lovena Harrison, Preston Harrison\u2019s wife, was sentenced to serve one year and one day in prison. She was also ordered to pay $375,985 in restitution to the IRS.<\/p>\n