PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A federal judge in Portland sentenced a 79-year-old man to five years in prison for bilking 14 investors out of $1.4 million.
Authorities said Lloyd Benton Sharp and a partner told investors they were going to convert the seeds of 5 million acres of Jatropha trees across Ghana into oil that would be refined as biodiesel. He assured them a $50,000 investment would return $7,000 a month, and they could withdraw their investment any time.
The Oregonian reports (https://is.gd/mSJF3P ) Sharp was already a convicted fraudster barred from selling securities in six states.
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Information from: The Oregonian, https://www.oregonlive.com
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