The last of three former employees charged along with swindler Edward Hugh Okun was sentenced to three years in prison in federal court in Richmond yesterday. U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne imposed a lower sentence than the five-year maximum called for under a plea agreement between former lawyer Richard B. Simring, once the chief legal officer of Okun Holdings Inc., and the government.

Two former employees of convicted swindler Edward Hugh Okun were sentenced to prison yesterday under the terms of plea agreements. Okun, a former Miami businessman, used his Richmond-based companies in a $126 million fraud that victimized hundreds of people across the country. Last week, he was sentenced to 100 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne sentenced a tearful Lara Coleman, the chief operating officer of Okun’s Midlothian-based Investment Properties of America and now a resident of Texas, to 10 years in prison.

Two codefendants of convicted swindler Edward Hugh Okun were sentenced to prison this morning under the terms of plea agreements reached with the government.

Until his conviction this year in a $126 million fraud, Carol May had not heard a word about her first husband, Edward Hugh Okun, since he left Canada decades ago.

Every Tuesday and Thursday, a rough but orderly line forms in a parking lot on Auburn Avenue, three doors from the birthplace of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. At 11:30 a.m., several hundred people start shuffling off the asphalt into a former school cafeteria. Most are chipper at the prospect of a good meal, some are wary and a few appear hungry for more than food.

Former Miami businessman Edward Hugh Okun is facing 400 years in prison when his two-day sentencing hearing starts Aug. 4. Okun, 58, was convicted in March of 23 charges in a $126 million scam that victimized hundreds across the country. The scam was run through Okun’s now-defunct, Richmond-based businesses, Investment Properties of America and The 1031 Tax Group. It has not been disclosed why Okun moved his Indianapolis businesses to Richmond in 2005.

Former Miami businessman Edward Hugh Okun is facing 400 years in prison when his two-day sentencing hearing starts Aug. 4. Okun, 58, was convicted in March of 23 charges in a $126 million scam that victimized hundreds of people across the country. The scam was run through Okun’s now-defunct, Richmond-based businesses, Investment Properties of America and The 1031 Tax Group. It has not been disclosed why Okun moved his Indianapolis businesses to Richmond in 2005.

SILVER SPRING, Md. An important part of Bonnie Schloss’ life centers on sailing a modest, 30-foot boat she keeps in Annapolis. The semiretired video editor enjoys the companionship of other sailors. And, she said, “there’s something about sailing. You just go out there and there’s a nice breeze, it’s quiet and I love the water. There’s nothing like the water, any kind of water.“

Miami businessman Edward Hugh Okun is facing 400 years in prison when his two-day sentencing hearing starts on Aug. 4. Okun, 58, was convicted in March of 23 charges in a $126 million scam that victimized hundreds of people across the country. Some of his victims are expected to testify during the sentencing hearing. The scam was run through Okun’s now-defunct, Richmond-based businesses, Investment Properties of America and The 1031 Tax Group. It has not been disclosed why Okun moved his Indianapolis businesses to Richmond in 2005.

Marriage made in fraud: Watch scenes from the lavish wedding of Edward Hugh Okun and Simone Bolani, financed by a $126 million scam. Read the story of a couple defrauded when their nest egg of $854,000 is stolen.

The former top officer of a commercial real estate investment firm that is accused of stealing $132 million from customers pleaded guilty to charges in federal court yesterday. Lara Coleman, 40, of the now bankrupt, Richmond-based Investment Properties of America, could be sentenced to up to 25 years in prison and $500,000 in fines but would serve only 10 years if her plea agreement is approved by U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne.