Two Northern California business partners were sentenced to federal prison Friday for their roles in a multimillion dollar mortgage fraud scheme that inflated the prices of dozens of new homes and triggered an international manhunt.
Garret Griffith Gililland III was sentenced to nearly eight years in prison and Shane Burreson to nearly two years. Both men pleaded guilty last year to mail fraud and money laundering.
The U.S. Attorney's office in Sacramento said Gililland orchestrated the scheme to inflate the sales prices of about 46 homes in Chico, about 90 miles north of Sacramento, between 2006 and 2008.
Sacramento Bee, 8/10/12; updated story: Sacramento Bee, 8/11/12.