{"id":25417,"date":"2016-07-19T16:45:53","date_gmt":"2016-07-19T23:45:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=25417"},"modified":"2016-07-19T16:45:53","modified_gmt":"2016-07-19T23:45:53","slug":"judge-sentences-man-25-years-prison-involvement-2-million-nigerian-oil-scheme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=25417","title":{"rendered":"Judge Sentences Man to 25 Years in Prison for His Involvement in a $2 Million Nigerian Oil Scheme"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEVADA<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

A Las Vegas resident was sentenced to 25 years in jail Tuesday on multiple fraud charges, federal officials announced.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anton Paul Drago<\/strong>, formerly known as Evan Fogarty, 65, was convicted in March 2016 of all 10 counts of the indictment after an eight-day jury trial, according to officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Courtroom\"The jury found him guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, two counts of wire fraud, three counts of submitting false claims to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, one count of theft of government funds, one count of passing a fictitious financial instrument, one count of making false statements to federal agents and one count of failing to file a federal income tax return.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s sentence reflects the serious nature of Mr. Drago\u2019s crimes and the substantial harm he inflicted on his investors and the U.S. government,\u201d said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Caroline Ciraolo.\u00a0 \u201cWhen confronted with his extensive fraudulent conduct by federal agents, rather than come clean, Mr. Drago chose to double down on his lies and continue the scheme that funded his extravagant lifestyle.\u00a0 Today, he paid the heavy price for his illegal activities.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur joint investigation with the IRS\u2019s Criminal Investigation resulted in the conviction of a veteran who defrauded the government by claiming monetary benefits he wasn\u2019t entitled to,\u201d said Special Agent in Charge Douglas J. Carver VA-Office of Inspector General\u2019s Western Field Office.\u00a0 \u201cThe money he stole would have benefited other eligible disabled veterans.\u00a0 We are pleased that this sentence reflects the seriousness of his crimes and believe this conviction will serve as a deterrent to others who might consider defrauding the Department of Veterans Affairs and our country\u2019s veterans.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The evidence indicated that Drago orchestrated a large-scale Nigerian oil investment fraud scheme.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

From at least 2004 through 2012, Drago told investors that money they invested would be used for legal fees and business expenses to fund the production, refinement and shipment of crude oil from Nigeria to the Bahamas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Along with co-conspirator Joseph Rizzuti, formerly of Palm City, Florida, Drago also told investors that the money they invested would fund the purchase of an oil refinery in the Bahamas.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Drago lied to investors about his background, falsely claiming that he was an engineer and an expert in the oil industry with over 30 years of experience working worldwide.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

He also falsely told some investors that he was the grandson of the Shell Oil founder and heir to a $500 million trust which he invested in the Nigerian oil investment deal.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

None of these claims were true.<\/span><\/p>\n

The government also presented evidence to establish that Drago and Rizzuti contracted with investors, promising them a short-term turnaround on their investment in just 60 days with a return of up to 400 percent.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Unwitting investors gave the conspirators more than $2 million.\u00a0 Instead of investing in a Nigerian oil deal as promised, Drago and Rizzuti used most of the investors\u2019 money for personal expenses.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Specifically, Drago spent the money on the following things:<\/span><\/p>\n