SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A Scottsdale man previously convicted of partaking in a Ponzi-like scheme has been sentenced again to prison after pleading guilty to multiple theft-related offenses.
Scottsdale police arrested Robert F. Alexander, 59, last year after he got caught swindling money out of people who thought he was organizing a charity golf tournament on behalf of the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit that services military veterans.
Once the golfers discovered the tournament was a nonexistent event, they attempted to get their money back and started talking to the police.
One of the golfers who gave money to Alexander said they didn't detect any "red flags" when they were approached by the defendant on the golf course.
Investigators discovered Alexander was also involved in visiting golf courses to collect investments for a golf ball resale business he was supposedly running.
Court records show Alexander recently accepted plea deals in five separate criminal cases filed in Maricopa County Superior Court. He was sentenced last month to seven years in prison and ordered to pay about $377,000 in restitution to several victims.
After his release, Alexander will be placed on probation for a number of years.
Alexander appears to have a history of trying to cheat money of Arizonans.
A couple of years ago, the Arizona Corporation Commission ordered Alexander to pay $382,000 in restitution for tricking locals to invest in a fraudulent golf ball business.
In 2006, Alexander pleaded guilty to charges related to a purported Ponzi scheme and was sentenced to eight years in federal prison.
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