PAGO PAGO (Pacnews) — Montez Salamasina Ottley, the Samoan woman convicted of defrauding around 5,000 people in Hawaii, American Samoa and the U.S. mainland of more than $66 million in a Ponzi scheme was sentenced to 26 years in prison.
Ottley was also ordered by the court to pay more than $66 million in restitution.
In February, a federal jury found Ottley guilty of mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy charges for orchestrating a “Cayman Island Investment Program.” She was also convicted on a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States. According to prosecutors, Ottley’s program promised an 8 percent profit in 13 weeks in exchange for a minimum investment of $1,000.
Among her victims in the scam were American Samoan businessmen and church leaders
