HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A California man was sentenced to federal prison after helping conduct a multi-million dollar fraud scheme against more than 15 victims.<\/p>\n
Richard Patterson, 44, was sentenced in Hawaii Monday to 68 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, said Hawaii U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson.<\/p>\n
Patterson was convicted of conspiring to commit wire fraud and failing to appear for a court hearing. He was ordered to pay $2,030,000 in restitution to the victims.<\/p>\n
How the scheme worked<\/p>\n
Patterson worked with two other co-conspirators, Dashawn Hill and Judy Ramos, said the U.S. Department of Justice.<\/p>\n
They carried out an \u201cadvanced payment scheme\u201d by soliciting victims to invest between $5,000 and $550,000.<\/p>\n
The three claimed they would use the money to pay fees for financial products that would generate risk-free returns of 200 to 1,000 percent, the DOJ said.<\/p>\n
Instead, officials said they used the money to cover living expenses, travel, entertainment, and other personal costs.<\/p>\n
Patterson lived a millionaire\u2019s lifestyle, renting a luxury condominium in Ala Moana, buying luxury goods, and traveling, said the DOJ.<\/p>\n
Patterson also operated under the false name Xavier Carter and a fake accent, pretending to be a foreign national.<\/p>\n
Collectively, Patterson, Hill, and Ramos collected more than $2 million from their scheme.<\/p>\n
Patterson flees to California<\/p>\n
Patterson was due in court to appear for his federal fraud trial on Oct. 28, 2024. He failed to appear for two in-person court hearings and stopped communicating with his attorneys. <\/p>\n
He also refused to travel to Hawaii and fled to Southern California, said the DOJ.<\/p>\n
A warrant was issued for Patterson\u2019s arrest. He was eventually taken into custody and brought back to Hawaii.<\/p>\n
Plea agreements signed<\/p>\n
Patterson signed a plea agreement in August 2025, admitting to the charges against him.<\/p>\n
Ramos and Hill also admitted to certain crimes by signing a plea agreement.<\/p>\n
They are scheduled to be sentenced on May 13 and June 2, respectively.<\/p>\n
The FBI investigated the case. Hawaii Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Albanese served as prosecutor.<\/p>\n
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