Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced the sentencing of a Brookhaven man in a nearly $1 million wire fraud case that targeted Mississippi investors.
23-year-old David Tiler Castillo was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud. U.S. District Judge David Bramlette handed down the sentence on Jan. 13, which also includes three years of supervised release following imprisonment.
Castillo was ordered to pay $928,500 in restitution to his victims.
According to the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, Castillo carried out a scheme in which he solicited money from investors under false pretenses and then misappropriated those funds for his own use.
The case was investigated by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office, following a referral from the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office, with assistance from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Secret Service. Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi handled the case.
“My office is committed to holding those who defraud Mississippians accountable,” Fitch said. “Financial crimes like this hurt hardworking individuals, and I am proud of the diligent work from our investigators and partners who ensured justice was served in this case.”
Secretary of State Michael Watson also praised the collaboration that led to the conviction.
“A big thanks to Eric Slee and his team at the Secretary of State’s Office for shedding light on this scheme defrauding honest Mississippians,” Watson said. “Through their daily efforts to protect our securities investors, this individual will no longer rob our citizens of their hard-earned dollars.”