The message is loud and clear to a man who tried to pull off an award-winning lie.
Brice Carrington is heading to prison for stealing millions from investors by posing as an Oscar-winning sound engineer, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
The former Pleasanton resident was sentenced Friday to four years behind bars and will begin his prison term Feb. 12. Carrington, 46, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion in September.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says Carrington acknowledged faking a Hollywood career from 2001 to 2005. Our friends at the Contra Costa Times say Carrington even paid a Walnut Creek jeweler to make fake Oscar statues for him in order to attract investors. The goal in mind was to fool clients into believing he was raising money for sound projects.
Instead, prosecutors say the bulk of the nearly $4 million he gathered went toward a new home and luxury cars.
He must also pay restitution to 13 victims and nearly $142,000 in income taxes.
