A Staffordshire-based financial adviser defrauded eight victims out of £478,000 by persuading them to invest in a fake property investment scheme and solar panels.
A report in the Express & Star confirmed Mark Lewis, 50, told investors he would invest their cash in properties which required renovation and would be sold on at a profit but only one property was bought.
While on police bail for the property investment fraud Lewis began a second con based on solar panels.
Among the victims were Lewis’s uncle and nephew who lost £100,000 between them.
Lewis had been a partner in a mortgage advice firm before leaving to set up on his own after which he began his illegal activity.
He pleaded guilty in Stafford Crown Court to 16 charges of defrauding £478,000 between May 2008 and September 2012.
He was sentenced to six years and five months in jail this week.
