Former SLC Councilman Eric Jergensen sentenced to nearly 5 years in prison in New York fraud case

Former Salt Lake City Councilman Eric Jergensen was sentenced to 59 months in prison by a federal judge Friday for conspiring to defraud a New York company of $2.5 million.

His prison sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release. Jergensen also must pay $2.5 million in restitution to victims, by order of U.S. District Judge Brenda K. Sannes.

He was taken into custody following the sentencing in Syracuse, New York.

Jergensen, 58, and co-defendant Debashis Ghosh, 53, of Chicago, were convicted in October 2017 of wire fraud conspiracy following a seven-day trial in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York.

“Jergensen stole $2.5 million from investors trying to bring an innovative business and jobs to Plattsburgh [New York], and then tried to cover up his theft with years of lies,” said U.S. Attorney Grant C. Jaquith in a prepared statement Friday. “Today’s sentence holds Jergensen accountable for his greed and treachery.”

Read more: https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/03/02/former-salt-lake-city-councilman-eric-jergensen-sentenced-to-nearly-5-years-in-prison-in-new-york-fraud-case/

The victim investors included a retired United States Air Force colonel, a former New York City deputy mayor, a retired lawyer, and several retired executives from the financial and airline industries.