Man who took Alabama town for $1.9M sentenced to 5 years

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge has sentenced a man who pleaded guilty to scamming an Alabama city to more than 5 years in prison and ordered him to return $1.9 million to investors.

U.S. District Judge W. Keith Watkins handed down the 63-month sentence for 43-year-old Kyle Sandler on Tuesday.

Sandler moved to the east Alabama town of Opelika (Oh-puh-LIE-kuh) in 2011 and later opened a business incubator called the Round House. He pleaded guilty last year to fraud for taking about $1.9 million from more than 50 investors.

Sandler told The Associated Press he falsely portrayed himself as a one-time Google executive and acted out of greed.

Sandler last month told the judge that he was “disgusted with myself” because he used his intelligence “to hurt people and take their money.”