Ex-Californian Gets 10 Years For $13M Fraud

SANTA ANA (AP) — A Southern California man who ran a $13 million telemarketing scam and then spent more than a decade on the run may spend another decade in federal prison.

James Eberhart received a 10-year sentence Monday and was ordered to repay more than 800 victims across the country. He pleaded guilty to mail fraud in September.

The 73-year-old was arrested two years ago on his yacht in Malaysia after 12 years as a fugitive.

Authorities say in the 1990s, Eberhart and others conned investors who thought their money would be used to create an entertainment website called YES.

Co-defendant Eugene Carriere was arrested in Thailand in 2005 after six years on the run. He got three years in prison.

Several other people received lesser sentences.

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