Miami accountant sentenced in Ponzi scheme

MIAMI (AP) -- A Miami accountant has been sentenced to seven years in prison for running a Ponzi scheme that bilked investors out of nearly $2 million.

Juan Carlos Rodriguez pleaded guilty to fraud in June. U.S. District Judge William Dimitrouleas sentenced him Friday to federal prison and to pay nearly $1.1 million in restitution.

The Miami Herald reports that Rodriguez apologized to the judge and promised to repay his victims.

Prosecutors said Rodriguez bilked $1.9 million from about 50 victims until the scheme unraveled in 2010.

Among the scheme's victims were the parents of Jaime Gough, a 14-year-old fatally stabbed by his best friend in a middle school bathroom in 2004. Rodriguez had promised to invest part of the settlement the Goughs received from the Miami-Dade School Board.