Federal prosecutors say a businessman accused of swindling churchgoers in an investment scheme has been sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison.
ATLANTA (AP) - Federal prosecutors say a businessman accused of swindling churchgoers in an investment scheme has been sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison.
Authorities say 32-year-old Ephren Taylor II of Overland Park, Kansas was sentenced Tuesday to 19 years and seven months.
Prosecutors have said Taylor, former chief executive of North Carolina-based City Capital Corporation, convinced members of mostly African-American churches across the country to invest in small businesses and used their money to pay personal expenses. Prosecutors say more than 400 people invested more than $16 million in the scheme.
Taylor's accomplice, 46-year-old Wendy Connor of Raleigh, North Carolina has also been sentenced to five years in prison.
Taylor is ordered to pay more than $15.5 million in restitution. Connor is ordered to pay more than $5.8 million in restitution.
