BULLETIN: Tom Petters, Minnesota Ponzi Scheme Figure, Sentenced To 50 Years In Federal Prison

BULLETIN: (UPDATED 12:21 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) Tom Petters, whom federal prosecutors said presided over a $3.65 billion Ponzi scheme, has been sentenced to 50 years in prison.

The fraud was one of the largest in U.S. history — though still significantly smaller than the Bernard Madoff scheme, estimated to have involved $65 billion.

Prosecutors had sought a sentence of more than 300 years. Petters’ attorneys countered with an argument that an appropriate sentence was in the range of four years.

U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle bridged the gap, sentencing Petters to 50 years — 100 years fewer than the sentence Madoff received, but more than 12 times the sentence sought by the defense.

Minnesota has been plagued by Ponzi schemes and rocked by allegations of Ponzi schemes.

Three links on the main page of the website of U.S. Attorney B. Todd Jones lead to information about major Ponzi scheme prosecutions or Ponzi investigations undertaken by the office, including the Petters’ case, the case against Trevor Cook and Pat Kiley, and the investigation into the business practices of Steve Renner, who is alleged by prosecutors to have operated an autosurf Ponzi scheme known as INetGlobal.

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