Man Gets Prison Time For Iraqi Pizzeria Scam
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
NEW HAVEN (CBSMiami/AP) — A Florida man was sentenced in connection to a number of scams including one to open a pizzeria in a U.S. consulate in Iraq.
Federal prosecutors say former Wilton resident Joseph Morris, currently of Fort Lauderdale, was sentenced Tuesday to three years of probation and ordered to pay restitution.
Another man, from Connecticut, got two years prison time in the case after authorities said the duo defrauded investors out of $200,000.
Authorities say the 52-year-old Morris in 2011 told investors, many of them veterans, he had a deal to open a pizzeria in the U.S. consulate in Erbil, Iraq. He also told investors he was starting a business to distribute and install window film on vehicles and buildings to protect them from explosions.
Prosecutors say neither opportunity existed.
Morris pleaded guilty to wire fraud in June.
(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)