Borough man sentenced for defrauding investors

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NAUGATUCK — A 37-year-old borough man was sentenced to a year in prison on Tuesday in connection with a scheme to defraud investors of more than $120,000.

Christopher Scull pleaded guilty to two counts of mail fraud last year. As part of his sentence, Scull was also ordered to pay back the money he ripped off from investors.

Scull, who worked as an insurance agent with Bankers Life & Casualty Co., scammed investors between June 2011 and January 2014.

In one instance, Scull convinced a victim to make withdrawals from her annuity and give the money to him. Scull falsely told the victim she owed fees for her account.

After she received a check in the mail from Bankers Life, he directed her to deposit it into her account and write a personal check to him. Scull then used the money for his own benefit, prosecutors said.

At least one of the victims was in his 70s, had suffered two strokes and was unable to care for himself, according to federal prosecutors.

“Scull was the sole architect of this fraudulent scheme and he alone determined who to victimize and how,” prosecutors wrote. “The government believes that the fact Scull chose to victimize those least likely to be able to help themselves or to discover his fraud, distinguishes Scull’s conduct and make this offense a particular serious one.”

Scull did not have a criminal record before his arrest.