Governors' Wind Energy Coalition

CASPER, Wyo. — A federal judge has sentenced a California man to two years in prison for his role in defrauding investors by promoting non-existent wind farm projects in Wyoming and South Dakota.

U.S. District Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on Thursday also ordered that 55-year-old Joseph Richard Adams of Los Angeles share responsibility for restitution estimated at $4.5 million.

Adams pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud last August, the first of the five defendants to plead guilty. The other four defendants are set for sentencing this summer before Skavdahl.

Federal prosecutors say defendants used aliases and the company names Mountain State Power Group, Mountain State Power and Sovereign Energy Partners. Prosecutors say they urged people to invest in wind farms that were never built.