Luxury cars, vacation homes: solar energy Ponzi scheme defrauded investors of $1bn

A San Francisco Bay Area man was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for an egregious' racket that even scammed Berkshire Hathaway

A San Francisco Bay Area man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for running an audacious solar energy Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors of $1bn, the biggest criminal fraud scheme in the district's history.

Jeff Carpoff, the 50-year-old owner of the solar energy company DC Solar, was sentenced on Tuesday. His wife, Paulette Carpoff, 47, faces up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty at the same time to money laundering and conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States.