A Goshen man will spend about eight years in federal prison for running a fraud scheme that mostly victimized Amish and Mennonite investors.
A jury convicted 44-year-old Earl D. Miller of wire and securities fraud. Miller ran a group of companies called 5 Star. The court estimated Miller defrauded victims of about $4.5 million during an 18-month period from 2014 to 2016.
Miller told people he would invest their money in real estate or newly patented green products that would be distributed in large chain stores. Instead, he spent their money on other things, including to buy out his business partner, pay his attorneys, buy a pontoon boat and a Cadillac Escalade for himself, and pay a spiritual advisor.
Miller then tried to evade his debts by filing bankruptcy.
The court has ordered Miller to pay $2.3 million in restitution.
In a press release, U.S. bankruptcy Trustee Nancy J. Gargula said Miller’s sentence, ordered by U.S. District Judge Jon E. Deguilio, “shows that abusive and fraudulent conduct will not be tolerated, and the bankruptcy system and its integrity will be protected.”
