PHONY HOLLYWOOD PRODUCER GETS FOUR YEARS IN PRISON
A man who posed as a Hollywood producer and conned investors out of $3.4 million (£2.3 million) for a phony show has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison for violating his probation.
Joseph Medawar pleaded guilty to tax evasion and conspiracy after scamming millions out of friends and colleagues with a bogus TV project about America’s Department of Homeland Security back in May 2006.
He was originally sentenced to a year in jail and community service - which was later reduced to probation.
However, Medawar used some of his community service hours to go to the gym and watch movies, according to The Los Angeles Times.
He was punished on Tuesday (18Jan11) for the probation violation, with U.S. District Judge Manuel L. Real sentencing Medawar to 45 months behind bars.
Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)
