MCALLEN, TEXAS (AP) -- A certified public accountant in South Texas must serve 51 months in federal prison over $1.2 million in fraud against a paraplegic client with immigration issues.
Prosecutors say 49-year-old Rodrigo Garcia of McAllen was sentenced Wednesday over his July guilty plea to wire fraud. Garcia also must pay restitution.
Records show the paraplegic in 2002 hired Garcia to manage his finances related to a $3.6 million settlement.
The name of the paraplegic and details on the settlement were not immediately released by prosecutors.
Investigators say Garcia, whose CPA license was revoked in 2003, took his disabled client's money via wire transfers from the victim's bank account.
U.S. Attorney Jose Angel Moreno says the funds were used for Garcia's personal benefit.
The victim did not have legal status in the United States.
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