Sholam Weiss
American fraudster / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Sholam Weiss (born 1954) is an American convicted fraudster.
Sholam Weiss | |
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Born | 1954 (age 69ā70)[1] |
Status | Released via presidential sentence commutation, January 19, 2021 |
Occupation | Former business consultant |
Criminal charge | 78 counts of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering |
Penalty | 835 years imprisonment (reduced from 845 years in 2009), three years supervised release, $123.4 million fine, $125 million restitution, $57 million forfeitures[2] |
In 2000, Weiss was sentenced to 845 years in prison for racketeering, wire fraud, money laundering, and other charges in connection to the collapse of the National Heritage Life Insurance Company. He and other defendants engaged in an immense scheme that siphoned off $450 million from the company, resulting in what was believed to be the largest insurance company failure ever caused by criminal acts.[3][4]
His sentence was believed to be the longest prison term ever imposed in a U.S. federal court and the longest ever for white-collar crime.[5][4][6] Weiss fled the country during jury deliberations in October 1999, and was extradited from Austria in 2002. His sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump on January 19, 2021. Weiss was released that same day.