A judge in Missouri has sentenced a Houston man to 5 years in federal prison for his role in a $1.6 million investment fraud scheme.
According to KTTN News, U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark sentenced 58-year-old Duc Nguyen, also known as “Doug,” to 5 years in federal prison without the possibility of parole. The judge also ordered Nguyen to pay $1,641,000 in forfeiture and restitution.
Nguyen’s sentencing comes after he pleaded guilty on July 15, 2021 to one count of wire fraud. The 58-year-old admitted his involvement in a fraud scheme that spanned 16 months, from April 2018 to August 2019.
Prosecutors said Nguyen persuaded two brothers — Phillip Hudnall of Lenexa, Kansas, and Brian Hudnall of Kansas City, Missouri — to invest in a plan to purchase and refurbish used oil equipment that would be sold for profit.
According to KTTN News, Nguyen told the brothers that the profit made from the sales of the equipment would be three to five times over their initial investment. The Hudnall brothers raised funds for the investment based on the promises made by Nguyen.
The brothers wired $1,641,000 in twenty-nine separate transactions to two accounts controlled by Nguyen. However, the 58-year-old did not use the funds for the investment. Instead, the funds were traced to casinos in Las Vegas, where Nguyen had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars. Nguyen also used part of the money for his personal expenses.
Despite being victims of Nguyen’s scheme, the Hudnall brothers also made false representations to investors and defrauded them of around $4.5 million. The brothers pleaded guilty in June 2020 for their role in the scheme.
On October 21, 2021, Brian Hudnall was sentenced to three years in federal prison without the possibility of parole and ordered to pay around $4.5 million in restitution. His brother’s sentence will be handed down on April 26.