BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A Boise man has pleaded guilty to scheming to defraud a Florida businessman of more than $7,000.
Forty-seven-year-old Barret Akers pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of wire fraud in U.S. District Court in Boise. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.
Federal prosecutors allege Akers, who ran an investor relations business, began lying to a Florida businessman about his relationship with the Securities and Exchange Commission in February to win business from the company.
Prosecutors say Akers suggested he was friends with an SEC employee who could delete damaging information about the company in the SEC’s files, ultimately saving the company legal trouble. Some of those false statements were made through interstate text messages, e-mails and phone calls.
