Federal sentencing guidelines
Guidelines are nonbinding rules setting out a uniform sentencing policy for defendants convicted in the United States federal court system that became effective in 1987. The guidelines determine sentences based primarily on two factors, the conduct associated with the offense which produces the offense level and the defendant’s criminal history.
Source: NWA Democrat-Gazette
FAYETTEVILLE — Two men convicted of defrauding investors in a failed Elm Springs wind farm project and the development of a wind turbine that was never built were sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay more than $1.1 million in restitution Tuesday.
Jody Douglas Davis and Phillip Vincent Ridings were charged with nine counts of wire fraud, aiding and abetting wire fraud, money laundering, and aiding and abetting money laundering. A federal jury found both men guilty on all counts Sept. 3. The jury deliberated about three hours over two days before reaching a verdict.
Both Ridings, who conceived of the wind turbine, and Davis, Dragonfly’s CEO, were found guilty of conspiring to commit wire fraud. Both were also found guilty of four counts of wire fraud and aiding and abetting wire fraud.
Both men were also found guilty, jointly, of two counts of money laundering, and both were found guilty individually of another count each.
U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks sentenced Ridings, 64, of North Little Rock to eight years in prison, which was the lower end of the…