A Virginia man will face 14 years behind bars for his role in an international investment fraud scheme. James Leonard Smith, 65, of Midlothian, Virginia, was convicted and sentenced last week in the Eastern District of Virginia.

According to prosecutors, Smith was part of a worldwide scheme that was executed by several co-conspirators including James Michael Johnson, 69, of Richmond, Virginia, and Brian Michael Bridge, 46, of London, England. The men ran a fake investment company, Chimera Group Ltd, which was based out of the United Kingdom and operated as an advance fee scheme. Both Virginia men promoted that the investment company established by Bridge would pay investors at a later date in exchange for an upfront payment. Together, the men were able to scam their victims out of approximately $5.7 million.

Prosecutors provided evidence at trial which showed that Smith along with his other co-conspirator, Johnson, misled their victims into believing the Chimera Group was a credible investment company. Smith told his victims that their payments would be secured and protected. Prosecutors explained at trial that Smith showed his victims’ fraudulent documents and letters of credit that appeared to be from a large financial institute to prove the company’s credibility. In addition to misleading victims, Smith also pulled in escrow attorneys including Stuart Jay Anderson, 54, of Aliso Viejo, California to add credibility to the investment firm.

Prosecutors uncovered that Smith’s involvement in the scheme took place between July 2014 and March 2019. Attorney Michael C. Moore shared in a memorandum with sentencing judge Henry E. Hudson, “In total, Smith personally raked in over $300,000 from his participation in the Chimera scam.” Moore adds of Smith’s offense, “The offense conduct here is incredibly serious. These crimes were not a one-time lapse in judgment. Rather, the offense conduct spanned years, and Smith and his co-conspirators inflicted significant economic harm on their victims, totaling millions of dollars. Many of the investors were individuals who could ill-afford to lose six-figure sums that represented years of personal savings or inherited wealth accumulated over a lifetime.”

Smith’s attorney, William J. Viverette, tried to fight for a more lenient sentence, explaining that Smith had declining health issues and did not have a previous record. Viverette wrote to the court, “Mr. Smith’s poor health will require intensive, continuous medical attention and treatment for his numerous ailments and diseases.” After a four-day trial, Hudson delivered the 14-year sentence for Smith’s involvement in the multimillion-dollar scheme.

Both co-conspirators Johnson and Anderson were sentenced for their involvement in the scheme. Anderson was sentenced to four years in prison on December 3, 2020, while Johnson was sentenced to over eight years behind bars last March 5. Smith and Johnson were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of wire fraud. Bridge also faces the same charges but remains a fugitive.