LAFAYETTE, La. – A 48-year-old Lafayette man was sentenced Friday to seven and a half years in prison for stealing more than $2 million from investors. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and must pay $2,066,923 restitution, according to David C. Joseph, United States Attorney.
John K. Morrow was the owner of a Louisiana company called UVC Technologies LLC, which was formed in 2011. UVC Technologies represented itself as providing green, chemical free disinfection machines utilizing ultraviolet germicidal irradiation to meet the needs of various medical communities.
From 2011 to 2016, Morrow solicited individuals to invest money in the company. He used false statements and misrepresentations indicating that the funds would only be used for business expenses and distribution of additional disinfection machines, Joseph stated. Morrow promised large sums of money in a short time period for their investments.
When the investors complained about not being paid back and for the purpose of soliciting funds from them, Morrow falsely claimed that the business had been sold for millions and that their money would be paid back from the proceeds of the sale. Morrow also told investors that he would use funds for business expenses, but he spent their funds on personal living and travel expenses. Morrow defrauded the investors out of more than $2 million during the course of the
scheme.
He pleaded guilty to the federal charges on January 14, 2019.
