A Nova Scotia financial manager who was the mastermind behind an investment scam that bilked about 200 investors out of $1.1 million has been ordered to pay them back.
Quintin Sponagle of Upper Vaughan, N.S., pleaded guilty to fraud in December for his work at Jabez Financial Services Inc. of Windsor, N.S. – a company that was registered in Panama.
Sponagle has admitted in court that he was responsible for $1.1 million worth of fraud.
READ MORE: N.S. investment scam mastermind to be sentenced in ‘Ponzi scheme’ fraud
In a written decision released Monday, Judge Anne Derrick says Sponagle used that money to buy cars, recreational vehicles and property and for international travel, cash withdrawals and other personal expenses.
Derrick says he used other people’s hard-earned money to “feather his own nest,” and ordered Sponagle to pay the victims $1.1 million in restitution. The sentence took into account the about three years he has served in jail.
The decision says victim impact statements revealed Sponagle’s actions affected the investors emotionally, mentally and physically and shook their trust in others